Planting Cassava

PLANTING

• Planting date lies between September and November each year,
• Ideally, grow cassava plants from semi-hardwood cuttings;
•  Healthy, fresh stem cuttings from mature plants are best for planting The quality of cassava stem cuttings depends on:

- age of stem

- thickness

- number of nodes

- health of stems

• Take stem cuttings from plants which are between 8 and 18 months old.
• Use thick stems, do not use thin stems
• Use 20-30 cm long cuttings with 5-7 nodes
• Select planting material from healthy plants
• Cut stems when you are ready for planting
• Cut stems with a well-sharpened machete, knife, or saw. 
• Plant as early as possible, just before the rains or after the rains begin
• Plant cassava cuttings vertically, at an angle, or horizontally
• In a monocrop, space cassava 80-100 cm within and between rows.
•  Although no universal recommendation exists, in Africa, a plant density of 10 000-15 000 plants/ha gives a good crop.