A traditional method of planting a Coconut tree
The best time to transplant seedlings is during the rainy season.
Digging Hole
Holes should be dug at 50 x 50 x 50 cm size. This should be done 2 months before planting to allow for weathering of the soil on the sides and bottom of the holes. Weathering is encouraged to promote early root‑soil contact.
Organic methods
Seaweeds, husks or any other compost materials, can be placed at the bottom of the hole and covered with soil leaving about one‑third free for the seedling nut to 'sit'. In Kiribati, farmers mix dried leaves and wood pieces with some green leaves. This method of mixing green and dry is also sometimes used for preparing mulching or soil covering
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In atolls and coral soils, three or four old cans (in iron, not in aluminium) are often added in the planting hole to provide the coconut palm with iron and some other trace elements that are missing in the soil. If the soil is particularly poor, and in order to transfer some beneficial micro organisms, it could be useful to take some soil in a place where coconut palms are growing very well, and to add about 500 g of this soil in the planting hole.
ACTIVITY
Watch video and take note of the number of tasks that the old man is carrying out from the beginning when preparing the coconut till it is planted into the ground. Note the size of the hole and the form of fertilizer he is using.