Rooftop and balcony bag farmers can avoid hardening or compacting of soil and drying of the crops by balancing the ratio of the soil and that of manure.
Hardening of soil particles leads to drying of the crops because water cannot penetrate to every end of the bag a few weeks after installation.
“Hardening is common especially in bags of 100 or more crops due to the higher number of soil particles than organic matter. There must be a balance in the mix ratio of the two. One wheelbarrow of the soil must be mixed with an equivalent amount of manure,” says Isaac Guda, an environmental specialist and agronomist.
Manure
Manure allows for drainage by loosely binding the soil particles. Water can easily and evenly seep through from the top to the bottom.
Growing crops in bags is one of the vertical farming methods gaining popularity with urbanites, who place the portable containers on balconies, rooftops or outside their homes with the hope of generating income from vegetables besides meeting domestic needs.
For instance, a bag with a mix of 100 spinaches, kales, black night shade and spider flower requires about 16 wheelbarrows. Guda says manure and soil should be eight wheelbarrows each.
“When planting, the farmer must make the holes and press the sides with a stick before inserting the seedlings straight,” he says.
Requirement
In ensuring the crops establish quickly, the farmer needs to add at least three kilogrammes of DAP to the 16 wheelbarrows capacity bag. The fertiliser is to offer the immediate nutrients required for stabilisation. Another three kilogrammes of lime are required to counter the acidity of the contents that is likely to be caused by the manure.
If one were to harvest at least one leaf from 50 spinaches and 50 kales twice a week.
Other farmers deal with the problem of water shortage by placing a pipe at the centre of the bag while filling it. Instead of soil, maize-grain sized sand particles are filled in the pipe, which will be removed.