FPA100 REPORT: FARMING PLAN (MARCH-JULY 2023)

 

 

FPA100 REPORT: FARMING PLAN 

SYAFIQAH SAHIRA BINTI SAIDI (2023103831)
M3AT110D

WEEK 7 (12 MEI 2023)
SOIL MANAGEMENT 
VENUE: FIELD, UiTM JASIN
SUBMISSION DATE: 15 MEI 2023

On the seventh week, the burden on our shoulders is decreasing but we're given another challenge to go through which is extreme weather. After three days, we take off the mulch made from palm fronds to let crop grow barely on planting bed but our crop still need protection from pest and extreme hot weather. So, what we do is, made new mulching from palm fronds and weeds to put surround the crop. 

Next, we put them on all planting bed to avoid soil from become hard and lumpy which is not easy to transplant with that condition. 

Mulch is to helping to regulate soil temperature to keep plant roots cool in the summer

While waiting crop to grow in seedling tray, group A-C do not really have much thing to do except group D need to watering the plant twice a day. 

Why is it important to keep a plant watered?

This is because plants need water to grow. Plants are about 80-95% water and need water for multiple reasons as they grow including for photosynthesis, for cooling, and to transport minerals and nutrients from the soil and into the plant. "We can grow food without fossil fuels, but we cannot grow food without water."

Next, objective of watering plants is to maintain a fully adequate supply of water to the plant roots without soaking the soil to the extent that air cannot get to the roots. Other than that, water is necessary for photosynthesis, which is how plants use energy from the sun to create their own food. During this process, plants use carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from the water absorbed through their roots and release oxygen as a byproduct. This exchange occurs through pore-like stoma on the leaves,

Somehow, those mulch become wilting and their color are fading away..

In this blog, I am going to share total amount of farming plant costs, 

ITEM	PRICE PER UNIT (RM)	QUANTITY	TOTAL (RM)
SEED	-	-	275.40
SEED TRAY	1.80	14	25.20
GLOVE	2.00	100	200.00
MINI TOOLS	4.00	100	400.00
HAMMER	7.90	8	63.20
WHEELBARROW	74.70	2	149.40
FERTILIZER 50KG	30.00	6	180.00
PEATMOSS	15.00	2	30.00
GARDEN LIME 25KG	45.00	2	90.00
RAFFIA ROPE	13.00	2	26.00
FIELD MEASURE TAPE	25.00	4	100.00
STRAW HAT	9.00	100	900.00
HOE	33.00	100	3300.00
BOOT	15.00	100	1500.00
MACHETE	16.90	8	135.20
WATERING CAN 12L	20.00	8	160.00
TOTAL			RM 7534.40

LOST COST

ITEM	NOTE	TOTAL (RM)
SEED	-	191.20
PEATMOSS	1 BAG	15.00
FARE CHARGE	TWICE	40.00
WATERING PLANT CHARGE	8 DAYS	460.00
		RM706.20

The challenge that I have been through this week is the weather. Even we did not do much thing, but all of us sweating like waterfall and we did our task faster so we can leave the plot early. To avoid heat stroke, student have been reminded to wear straw heat and bring enough water. 

That's all from me in this blog. We're still waiting until next week to manure. 
Thank you for your time. Assalamualaikum. 

FPA100 REPORT: FARMING PLAN (MARCH-JULY 2023)

 

FPA100 REPORT: FARMING PLAN 

SYAFIQAH SAHIRA BINTI SAIDI (2023103831)
M3AT110D

WEEK 6 (5 MEI 2023)
PLANTING AND MULCHING 
VENUE: FIELD, UiTM JASIN
SUBMISSION DATE: 8 MEI 2023

Before I start my blog report, I would like to wish Eid Mubarak to everyone reading this blog post. For the last two weeks ago, I had so much fun while prepared the last week of Ramadhan and Eidul fitri with my family. Now I am ready to continue my farming journey. The day before we go home, we already do germination but fail because of erratic weather. In a day weather can be too hot then for the next 10 minutes, rain is pouring. So we cannot rely fully on the greenhouse. 

As soon we get back to UiTM, KG Jep asked G16 to help him redo germination with seeds that we took in the seedling box. While waiting for the crop to grow, my friends and I proceed with plough the planting bed and make a drainage. 

Drainage progress.

Drainage refers to the process and practices used to remove excess water from the soil surface and from the soil profile. For the purpose of preventing surface water ponding and controlling runoff without causing erosion, surface drainage is the cheapest and easiest option in some cases. In this system, excess water from the soil surface is removed by flowing over the naturally or artificially sloping ground toward surface inlets, shallow ditches and grassed waterways. 

Drainage help water flow.

Planting bed progress. 

Laterite soil.

It is a bit hard to fix the planting bed because the plot is laterite soil. Laterite soil contains high acid and to make it stable range for crop that is why we did liming process before this. In adittion, Malaysian peat is oligotrophic - low in mineral content and acid in reaction, pH in the natural state being less than 4, usually between 3.5 - 3.8. To support this deficiency, we have to apply chicken dung to our planting bed. 

Chicken dung is one of poultry manure compost which is used as an organic fertilizer that will help growth rate of crop better. Especially for soil low in nitrogen. Of all animal manures, it has the highest amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Sadly, we have no much time left, group D in a exception to apply chicken dung but we still get to experience to soaking hand in pure chicken dung compos and I cannot stand with the smell. Tsk tsk... T_T 

Next, we move to planting bed selection which mean, place for us by individual to plant those crops. Due to failure of germination, my class change the seed too. Some of us choose an Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus). I picked cucumber as my crop. Our plot have up to 209 planting bed, one planting bed for each person and 18 another planting beds to divide to share with 4 group of classes and we called it 'batas kongsi'. So my class have another 4 planting bed to take care of.

Cucumber.

Okra.

After that, we started to do transplanting and mulching. In agriculture and gardening, transplanting or replanting is the technique of moving a plant from one location to another. Two advantages is replant allows us to plant the seedlings at the right spacing and select only healthy seedlings for the plants and, it promotes better development of shoot system of plants and penetration of roots in the soil.

We have to take out baby plant carefully. 

Watch and learn.

My classmates help me to do mulching. 

Palm fronds.

Last but not least, we cover the plant with palm fronds which we call it as a mulch. The purpose of mulching is to avoid direct sun, damage due to heavy rain and protect crop from pesticides. Mulching is especially important for new plantings done in the fall that are still tender as temperatures begin to plummet. Mulch only have to do up to 3 days and let the crop begin to grow directly under the sun. Lastly, we have to water the plants twice a day. 

Avoid watering directly to crop.

KG Jep was teaching to fix planting bed surface. 

Take a break.

Breakfast at our plot.

On this week, these stuff cost me around RM70. 

Mini skirt 15MYR

Jeans pant 10MYR

Black hijab 10MYR

Black long sleeve shirt 15MYR

Mini tools 20MYR

I went through many challenges in this week. 

Boots and hoe become very dirty and full with wet soil make stuff become heavier and difficult to move.

Still working for the project even cloudy.

Walked in heavy rain until three times in week 6.

After so many things, we all experience.. finally we begin to planting. I hope our crop grow healthily and I cannot wait to harvest! Hihihi 

Pray before started. 

Memories to keep.