UGU SeedsThis single factor can make or mar your investment. Talking from experience.
My Advice: Go directly to the farmer and see how well his/her ugu leave is doing before making a purchase. Thank me later
Seed Dormancy
It measures the time the seed takes before it can germinate. Read more here www.sproutnet.com/seed-dormancy
How do one break or shorten this time? You can dry for like say 24-48 hours. I will advice, you put it under a moderate sunlight. I dried mine in the room because I just aim to reduce the moisture content.
Picture of seed planted.
What about seeds showing sign of germination?Well, go ahead and plant without bothering yourself with drying up the moisture content.
And Yes, some of my seeds where already germinating right inside the pod before breaking the pod.
I have attached a pic to give you a good idea of seeds already germinating
I will cover the following next:
Ugu seed type
Ugu seed Pricing
Ugu seed plant spacing
Ugu seed treatment
This is a big factor when it comes to yield.
The textbook and ideal recommendation is 1m * 0.5m Spacing. Ideally, this spacing is recommended so as to help plant root get the required nutrients without much fight.
Demerit of this spacing method:
- Much land is required
- Weed control is more pronounced compared to small spacing
- More laborous
Merit
- Better yield when compared to tight spacing
So Let me talk about the other spacing which is usually adopted by most farmers I have come across. Let's call this "Management Spacing".
The Management spacing is roughly 1.5ft by 1ft. I am adopting this for my planting. As you already know, we have demerit and merit for this.
Merit
- Easy and better management of Land
- Easy control of weed compared to the "ideal" spacing
- Less labour
Demerit
- High competition for soil nutrients between plant roots
This demerit can be effectively managed by making sure there's no lack of nutrients in the soil by the effective application of organic or inorganic fertilizer.
I prefer organic because of longer shelf live for ugu leaves.
Food for thought:
4000 seeds is needed to fully cover an acre of Land using the ideal spacing method
But it is good to note that 4000 seeds can be effectively managed in just two plots by employing the management spacing technique. And the same yield will be achieved if you reduce the competition for soil nutrients by plant roots.
I hope this help. Any addition will be made as we progress.
Mind blown Segment
An acre of Ugu farm can yield over 600,000 Naira with setup cost of #250,000 in a space of 3 months in the raining season. What do you think will be the yield in the DRY season?
Seed TreatmentMuch debate on this subject matter. In the general role of thumb, a proportionate mixture of fungicide and insecticide is good for ugu seed treatment.
I prefer to rather break the dormancy of the seed, this will help reduce the time it will take for it to be in the soil prior to germination. This invariable helps to promote the seed germination before insect attack. And you should also note that the probability of a seed to be attacked by fungi is greatly reduced if the seed is properly dried.
Ofcourse, treatment of seed by chemicals is a way to go if you know the ins and outs. I just prefer the natural way (sunning) since it has worked for me in the past.
@stagger, I will be having about 3 different location where I will be running this project. 2 of these locations is close to the water body and partly it is a wet land. But the total of this land close to the water is roughly 2 to 3 plots.
And note that there is a well already dunged up. It will be mechanical watering.
For the other 6-8 plots not close to the water, a borehole will be dunged soon. But I will not be incorporating drip or sprinkler but rather I will use water hose that will flow water due to gravity. I will be using a high overhead tank.
All this will be showed while the thread progress.
@All, below is Phase A of the water land that is planted fully. I adopted the idea of phasing the project to easily manageable segments.
The pic below is just roughly 120 square meter but it contains 575 seeds. Recall, I am adopting manageable spacing method as against the idea method.
So as the thread progress, I will be able to tell the house what revenue each phase was able to accrue.
SWOT AnalysisStrength: In ugu farming, there's alot of vantage point for the farmer. Some of the strengths will be highlighted here.
- It is not a perennial or bi-annual crop. In just as little as 2 months, one can start seeing his/her investment yielding fruit.
- It is the most demanded vegetable in Nigeria compared to water leaf, soko or ewedu
- It has a strong export value. Already states like anambra and other individuals are tapping into it
- It is easy to farm, all that is needed is commitment and passion.
- Its ROI is over 100% in a space of 4 months if properly farmed.
There's quite a lot when it comes to Ugu farming. As the thread progress, I will make additions.
SWOT AnalysisWeakness
Okay. There is suppose to be balance in life. Balance between Good and Evil, male and female. Guess this contrast makes life what it is; Fun.
One major weakness in ugu farming is the Irrigation factor: Ugu need water especially doing the dry season. Recall we farm it especially for its leaves . And the freshness of the leave is tantamount to the availability and sufficiency of water.
Mechanization: Planting ugu from my research will still have to be done manually because of the positioning of the seed doing planting. There's yet to be a planter that will accurately sow ugu seed.
Cost of seed: Ugu seed is one of the most expensive among its pairs. Imagine a single seed going for N50-N70. And the probability of it germinating is not even 100%.
Bad seed: The market women will do anything to promote their sale by telling you this seed or that seed is igbo or calabar or portharcourt seed (Note: These are the names for the good seed). Well, I have threaded that part and I have decided to get my seeds directly from the farm.
Setup cost: No matter how you see it, the setup cost is "risk-ly" high. I mean despite a good ROI, any mistake on the part of the farmer or investor may lead to a huge loss due to the high startup cost.
If I come across any addition, I will add it up.
SWOT ANALYSISOpportunities
Yes, the opportunity of Ugu farming is huge and it is a bankable investment.
- The export opportunity abound. Buyers look out for sellers
- The commercialization of this business is really at its incipient stage. So this translate to less competition
- Local market is readily available: Igbos, yorubas, ibibios, efik, itsekiri, just to name a few eat it almost on a regular basis
A lot of opportunities out there. It is left for you to put that little effort to get it. Use the hoe and cutlass first and plan adequately, trust me, you will get your dream farm in no time.
I am glad i am showing my starting point to the world at this time, so that in the near future, no one will see it has a magical feat.
Be Inspired.
SWOT AnalysisThreats
Everything around us is threatened including the air we breathe in. So goes for Ugu farming. Proper understanding of these threats and ways to curb them will go a long way to make the ugu farmer profitable.
I will state some of the threats but in generic form.
Diseases: Most of the diseases that affect ugu leaves are airborne. Fungi growth on leaves is also a big threat to ugu farming considering that it is majorly farmed for its leaves.
Insects: Yes, insects are attracted to good looking broad , greenish ugu leaves
. Is not only we humans that know good thing. A simple solution to this is spraying a mixture of neem oil mixed with water. This has proved to be highly effective.Animals: The fulanis and their cows comes to mind. Anyway, lets hope for the best as far this threat is concerned.
Because doing the dry season, there will be drier and fewer vegetation and which fulani won't want a good greenish ugu leaves to feed his cows. Part of the solution is to create a form of barrier around your farm. Though costly, with little time frame, one will recoup his/her investment. The barriers can be a fence block or welded Iron bars.
Lack of irrigation: Anything can happen but it is better to be prepared especially doing the dry season farming. Make sure your pumping machine and source of water is intact. You never can tell.
Market: How accessible are you to the market place? Please give this a very serious thought before delving into this enterprise. If your farm is far from a settlement, do you have a form of transportation aid (bike, motor) to convey your produce to the market?
Poor Understanding: The good book i.e. the bible, states that my people perish for lack of understanding. Understanding is synonyms to acquiring knowledge. Have you done your homework to better understand the rudiments of ugu farming? This will go a long way, I tell you.
I hope this will help you better understand the threats associated with this farming. The list is not in anyway exhaustive, but as I come across any addition, I will add it up.
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