| Agricultural and Biochar Projects in the Philippines |
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        Author: Jochen Binikowski
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Our new Citrus / Calamansi Farm
In September 2008 we started a project which was planned since many years: About 5 hectars of our 15 hectar farm was planted with about 2.200 lemmon and orange trees.
The first and most expensive step was to fence the compound. One of the main problems in agriculture is the protection against animals and "night harvester" from the adjusent properties. The farm will be divided in several sectors by planting fast growing trees for windbreak and internal fencing purposes. At present more than 500 "Madre de Cacao" trees are planted.
Another timeconsuming job was the removal of weeds. Some of them had a height of 1 meter. After that the transplanting of the trees started. The distance is 3,5 metres. For each tree we digged a hole of 30 cm depth, filled it with our soil mixture (Biochar, Ashes Chicken Dung, Rice Husks, Topsoil) and planted the trees.
After that job we planted vegetables like squash, tomatos, beans, water melons and chili at the space between the trees. Here we also used our soil mixture.
After 2 month the survival rate of the trees was at approx. 97% which is very good. At time of transplanting the age of the seedlings was 16 month.
As of December 2009 the tree mortality is still very low and the first calamansi trees have started fruitbearing.
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 Calamansi seedlings
Calamansi fruits
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 Flowering Calamansi tree. |
 Fruitbearing Calamansi tree. |
 October 27, 2008: The main gate. |
 October 31, 2008: Fencing along the roadfront is complete |
 October 31, 2008: Our soil mixture |
 October 31, 2008: Each Calamansi - seedling is planted in a hole of 30 cm depth. |
 November 7, 2008: The holes are filled with our soil mixture. |
 29.12.2008 - Intercropping of Tomatos, Beans and chili between the trees. |
 13.2.2009 - Via the north gate truckloads of rice husked have been delivered. This will be used as mulching material. |
 13.2.2009: Mulching of the Calamansi trees. |
 13.2.2009 - Tomato and beans intercropping. |
 13.2.2009: Mungo and beans intercropping. |
 20.2.2009 - Monthly Seminar of the Tigaon Vegetable Growers Association was held on our farm. |
 24.2.2009: The first little harvest is ready for the market, Squash, Ampalaya, Tomato and Water Melon. |
 24.12.2009 - Intercropping of Calamansi- and Moringa trees with lemmon grass (Citronella) |
 24.12.2009: Our new nursery for vegetable seedlings and Neem tree experiment |
 24.12.2009 - Our first rainy season tomato harvest |
 24.12.2009: Tomato, Okra, Chili and Eggplant intercropping |
