Yam sack farming is the growing of yam in sacks. With yam sack farming, you can grow yams in your backyard, gardens, rooftops and other places. You do not need to buy a farmland or rent a farmland to grow yams again.
Yam sack farming enables people to practice urban farming. Yam sack farming also enables people to grow a lot of yams in sacks as compared to the large acreage of land needed to grow yams on the farm.
Yam sack farming as a vertical farming concept can produce more yam tubers per square metre as compared to growing yams on farms.
The following are the steps to take to start yam sack farming:
♦️Site Selection
Choosing the best place or site is the first step to take to start yam sack farming.
You can use your backyard, garden, rooftop or farm to practice yam sack farming The site must have abundant sunshine and it should not be waterlogged.
♦️Get Sacks or Bags
Sacks and bags are needed for sack farming. The seed yams, cuttings or setts will be planted in the sacks or bags. Cleaned cement bags can also be used for yam sack farming.
Jute sacks, polythene bags, HDPE bags and sacks made with kenaf fibre are some of the types of sacks that can be used to grow yams.
♦️Soil or Other Growing Medium
Top soil should be used for growing of yam in sacks or bags. The top soil should be mixed with well cured manure or compost. The soil may be solarized in order to kill the harmful microbes in it.
Coco peat, perlite and other growing media can also be used for yam sack farming. Pebbles and stones are usually added to the sack for easy draining of the growing medium.
♦️Manure or Compost
Animal manure like chicken manure should be mixed with the growing medium in the sack. The manure should be well cured. Compost can also be used to mix with the soil or growing medium.
♦️Variety of Yam to Plant
Benue yam varieties are the best types of yams to plant. They are usually big and have clear white internal tissues.
Other good varieties of yam to plant include Nasarawa yam, Wukari yam and Oyo yam varieties.
♦️Irrigation
You may need irrigation systems like drip irrigation for your yam sack farming venture.
The irrigation system will ensure that the yam plants do not lack water. Irrigation can also increase the yield of the yam crop.
♦️Planting
Get seed yams or tuber, cut the tuber into small sizes. The size of the cut should be 6cm by 6cm. You can use a small match box to measure the yam cut to use for planting.
Each yam tuber cut should have the back or peel of the yam tuber. Without the peel or back of the yam tuber, the yam cut will not germinate or grow.
Place the yam cut into the soil in the growing sack. Ensure that the back of the yam cut makes contact with the soil or growing medium.
Wet the soil in the sack before placing the yam cut in it.
♦️Fertilizers
Depending on the fertility of your soil or growing medium, you may need fertilizers like NPK 27:13:13, 15:15:15, 20:10:10, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, chelates, foliar fertilizers and potassium sulfate etc.
Yam does well with NPK fertilizers and manure.
♦️Pesticides
Yam like other crops is susceptible to pests and diseases. Pesticides like fungicides, insecticides, bactericides and acaricides etc should be used to manage pests and diseases in yam sack farming.
♦️Wooden Stakes
Wooden stakes like bamboo should be used as stakes for the yam vines. Sturdy vines can also be used to hold the growing yam vines.
Stakes are important for yam farming because, it holds the yam stems in erect position, exposing the leaves for proper photosynthesis and air circulation.
♦️Stones or Pebbles
Small stones or pebbles are needed to be placed in the sacks or bags. These stones make it easy for the sack to drain excess water.
♦️Harvesting
Yam reaches harvest after 5 – 7 months of planting. You need to gently dig the soil in the sack in order to harvest the yam tuber.
You will know that the yam is ready for harvest when the leaves and the vines begin to dry up and turn to brown.
