Page 115 - Final Report Improving information and developing a repository of sustainable soil management practices in Asia

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there is tillering expanding to all directions. This must be tailored to remain 3 trees per clump. The

number cannot be more than this due to competition for food resulting in decreasing yields.

6. Maintenance: Planting nipa palms does not require much care, fertilizer and pesticide

application are not used to apply. This is because nipa palm trees do not have insects or diseases
as enemies. Therefore, this agriculture uses very low costs. For general maintenance, trimming

leaves and covering weed removal are only required. In general, maintenance is divided into 2

periods as follows:
6.1. Early stage of planting to the stage of giving yields: Regarding maintenance, make

sure that there are no creeping plants, grass and other weeds covering the tree. If the young plant
dies or is incomplete, planting for repairing can be done.

6.2 When the nipa palm tree is at the age of 7 years up, more maintenance must be
done. This must be done by clearing surrounding weeds completely. If the surrounding area of the

clump has soil pushed up to protrude, a hoe is used to dig to lower it down. If the soil is left pushed

up to protrude, the nipa palm tree will grow incompletely.

7. Yields harvesting: Nipa palm trunk at the age of 7 can give yields continuously for 3-4

months.

Procedures to produce sugar from nipa palm trees

1. Selecting nipa palm trunks for slicing off palm juice by counting the age of nipa palm

trunks starting from having the palm cluster to the age of 3 months

2. Beating nipa palm trunks or so-called by villager as "beating palm". The trunk is stricken

for 50 times when each "beating palm" is performed. This is performed every other day for 6 days.
Then, a brake is allowed for a month followed by a process called "Prae Tan" is performed. In

other words, do this again every other day for 3 days accounting for 50 times each.

3. Slicing off nipa palm trunks to get palm juice should be performed at about 3.30-4.00

p.m. Put about 10 flakes of craib wood into a bamboo flask used to receive palm juice in order to

prevent the palm juice to become sour. Leave everything until 6 a.m. of the following day. Then,
slice off the trunk again. This procedure is called "wash the face of the palm". Once again, leave

everything until 10 a.m. and put away the bamboo flask used to collect the juice for simmering

further.

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