By Umar Nsubuga
Kenneth Kabagambe, a famous banana farmer and resident of Nyabugorogoro village, Kyenjojo district says before planting bananas, the shamba should be well dug and cleared of weeds.
Planting
He says when planting a matooke sucker, dig a hole which is 3x3ft to a knee-height level and pour manure.
“It is better when the sucker is planted during the rainy season. If it is a dry season, apply effective irrigation methods. For instance, use a container like a cup, basin or jar,” he advises starters.
Flowering
According to Kabagambe, it takes about 90 days for a tree to flower. Given another two months, it starts producing suckers. The suckers have to be pruned.
Kabagambe says when planting numerous suckers, ensure that the spacing should be 12x12ft if the soil is fertile and 10x10ft if it is infertile.
Plant matooke trees in rows. Avoid intercropping cassava, maize, and pawpaw with matooke.
He says ensure that a hole has no more than three trees, also ensure that if the parent tree is six feet high, the others should be four and two feet, respectively.
Harvesting
Kabagambe says the leaves should not be destroyed because they attract sun rays that facilitate growth.
A farmer can harvest matooke from one tree for more than five years if safe farming practices are undertaken.
