SECOND AND SUBSEQUENT SEASONS

Step 1. Land preparation

i Continue cutting and utilizing Napier grass starting with the inner row and weeding the cut

Napier lines.

ii. Apply farm yard manure or CAN fertilizer after cutting and weeding.

iii. Cut back the desmodium and feed to livestock.

iv. Clear the land of maize stover and feed to livestock.

v. Dig or plough once between the rows of desmodium. Care should be taken not to

disturb/uproot the desmodium lines.

‘push-pull’ plot ready for planting maize during the second season.

Step 2. Planting second crop of ’push-pull’

i. Plant maize in between desmodium rows at a spacing of 75 cm x 30 cm.

ii. Apply TSP or DAP fertilizer on the maize at the rate of one tea spoonful per hill.

Newly planted ‘push-pull’ plot during the second season.

Step 3. Weeding

1st weeding

i. Weed maize when 3 weeks old. Napier grass and desmodium should also be weeded at this

time.

ii. Desmodium at this stage can smother maize if not trimmed. It is recommended that you trim it

when maize is 3 weeks old.

iii. Thin maize to one plant per hill.

iii. In striga infested areas top dress maize with CAN fertilizer at the rate of one teaspoonful per

hill.

2nd weeding

i. 2nd weeding should be done when maize is 5 – 6 weeks old

ii. Desmodium should be trimmed again at this stage

iii. Top dress the maize with CAN fertilizer at a rate of one tea spoonful per hill in areas where

striga is not a problem.

Step 4. Management of Napier grass

i. Continue harvesting Napier grass for your livestock 6 – 8 weeks after the onset of rain

ii. Start cutting the inner row, followed by the middle row, then the outer row

ii. Always maintain 1 metre high row of Napier grass, surrounding the tender maize, by giving

time for the previously cut row to grow before cutting the next.

Caution: leaving maize without a Napier grass border of row of 1 metre high will encourage

stemborers to attacker your maize.

Step 5. Management of desmodium

i. After the second trimming (5 – 6 weeks), leave the desmodium to grow until maize is harvested

ii. The rest of the management practices are similar to the 1st season.

LIFESPAN OF A ’Push-Pull’ PLOT

iii. If you follow a good management regime for Napier grass and desmodium, you could benefit

from your ’push-pull’ plot for 5 or more years.

FEEDING YOUR COW

i. Chop the harvested Napier grass and desmodium to reduce wastage while feeding it to you

cow.

ii. During the dry season chop maize stover into small pieces and mix with the chopped Napier

grass and desmodium

iii. Napier grass mixed with desmodium in the ratio of 3:1 is recommended for higher milk

production of your cow

iv. Two acres of a well managed ‘’push-pull’’ plot can give enough Napier grass and desmodium

for one dairy cow for one year if supplemented with maize stover or other feeds during the dry

season.

v. Always remember to give your cow the recommended mineral supplements

Chopping Napier and desmodium forage for feeding cows and goats.

Cows feeding on chopped Napier mixed with desmodium forage.

Dairy goat with chopped Napier mixed with desmodium in a trough.

THINGS NOT TO DO

1. Desmodium should not need to be trimmed during the 1st season.

2. Do not graze livestock in the ‘’push-pull’’ plot because animals will destroy Napier and

desmodium.

3. Do not intercrop desmodium with Napier grass or any other crop with Napier grass.

4. In the second and subsequent seasons do not allow desmodium to spread until the maize is 6

weeks old to reduce competition.

5. Never cut all the three rows of Napier together to avoid ‘windowing’. Always cut one row all

round at a time.

6. Do not let Napier grass over-grow because it will not be effective in controlling stemborer and

will become hard for cattle to feed.

7. Do not plough down the desmodium rows to avoid re-planting, which is very expensive