Land Preparation SS1 Horticulture and Crop Production Lesson Note

Why Prepare the Land?

Before a builder starts a house, they don’t just start laying bricks on tall grass. They clear the site. Farming is the same. Land Preparation is the work we do to make the soil a comfortable “bed” for seeds to wake up and grow.

Why do we bother?

• To remove “uninvited guests”: We clear weeds and bushes that would steal food from our crops.
• To soften the earth: Seeds are delicate. If the soil is hard like a rock, the tiny roots cannot go down.
• To improve drainage: It helps water sink in properly so it doesn’t just sit on top and drown the plants.
• To kill pests: Turning the soil exposes hidden insect eggs to the sun, which kills them.

Step 1 – Land Clearing

This is the first and roughest stage. It involves removing the natural “bush” or the remains of the last harvest.

Methods used in Nigeria:

• Bush Burning: Often used because it is fast and cheap, but it’s actually not the best because it kills the “good” organisms in the soil and causes air pollution.
• Stumping: This is removing the big roots and “stumps” of trees left in the ground. You must do this if you want to use a tractor later, or the tractor will break!
• Manual Clearing: Using cutlasses and hoes to cut down grass.

Step 2 – Ploughing (Primary Tillage)

Once the land is clear of trees and tall grass, we start “Primary Tillage,” which is Ploughing. This is the process of cutting through the soil and turning it upside down.

What does Ploughing do?

• It buries the weeds deep underground so they rot and become manure.
• It brings “fresh” soil from underneath up to the surface.
• It breaks the hard “crust” of the earth so air can get inside.

Tools:

• Manual: Using a heavy hoe to dig deep.
• Mechanical: Using a tractor with a Disc Plough (big circular blades).

Step 3 – Harrowing (Secondary Tillage)

After ploughing, the farm often looks like a mess of big, heavy “clods” (giant lumps of soil). You cannot plant a tiny seed like pepper or lettuce in a giant lump of earth!

Harrowing is the process of breaking those big lumps into smaller, finer particles.

Why Harrow?

• To create a smooth “seedbed”: This ensures the seed is touching the soil on all sides so it can drink water.
• To level the ground: So that rain doesn’t wash all the seeds to one corner of the farm.

Tool:

• We use a Disc Harrow. It has more blades than a plough, and they are smaller and closer together.

Step 4 – Ridging (The Final Touch)

In many parts of Nigeria, especially for crops like Yam, Cassava, or Maize, we don’t just plant on flat ground. we make Ridges. A ridge is a long, raised mound of soil.

Why make Ridges?

1. Easy Growth: It provides deep, soft soil for tubers like yams to grow big and straight.
2. Erosion Control: If you make your ridges across the slope of the land, it stops the rain from washing away your topsoil.
3. Easier Weeding: It’s much easier to see and remove weeds in the “gutters” (furrows) between the ridges.

Tools:

• Manual: The traditional Nigerian Hoe.
• Mechanical: A tractor-mounted Ridger.

Summary Checklist for the Farmer