Weeding keeps it clean and healthy, I had to. What?

Visiting my cassava farm revealed an urgent need for weeding it. It also awakened the farmer in me. The cassava is not very healthy and the farm had been weeded for the first time but our visit made us realise that we needed to weed it again so that it can be clean and allow the cassava to regain its health.

It was 3 months ago that we planted the cassava in my other farm. But we contracted it out. The person did a nice job. But it seems that the place is not that fertile. The cassava didn't grown well. After it started sprouting, we noticed that more stems are needed which we got and added.

After just a month, weeds grew bigger than the cassava itself. I thought that it was too early. Why?

the method of planting

In my former city of residence where I also farmed cassava, we did it the way I the people in my start usually grow cassava.

We first clear the bush, then burn the grasses that are cut, till the ground, before planting. That way, it takes time for grass to start sprouting. Then, you can just weed the farm 2 times and that's all.

But here, it seems that it is different. Though I have seen few farms were they prepare just as I have described above. But majority of people plant the way we just did here. How?

They just clear the bush, burn the grass, and start planting without tilling the whole farm. What they do is just to till that particular area they want to plant any crop or stem.

This makes the weed to sprout very easily.

This is exactly how our cassava farm was prepared and planted. And this has made the grass to grow and regrow.

We contracted out the weeding for the first time. And the person did his best to weed. But too much rain coupled with the method of planting made the weed to grow faster and needed weeding again because the cassava are still tender.

This time around, my husband and I decided to weed the farm ourselves to see if we can weed it in a way that will prolong the regrowth of the weeds.

We planned that if both of us can weed the farm for 3 to 4 times, we will surely finish it. The essence of the multiple times is because we will only weed when the sun is down.

Starting the weeding

This past Tuesday, that is 3 days ago, we went there by 4 pm to start the weeding. My husband, my son and I went together as my daughter went out for the ministry.

We went with 2 holes and a matchet. We also went with water and garri to possibly drink when we are tired and need to eat especially my son.

On getting there, we started working on the farm. I never knew I can still weed. Well, as the saying goes - an old woman doesn't get old when it comes to the dance steps she knows how to dance best. We began in earnest. While my husband and I was weeding, my son was helping to pack the weeded grass to a designated place. He was really an encouragement to us.

Since the cassava was still small, we needed to be very keen as not to cut them in the process. And as we weed, we were adding soil round the cassava so that it can gain balance again. Remember that it had already formed alliance with those weeds that we are weeding. So, it needs those sand around it after the weeds are removed. That was what we did.

The tricks in weeding

There are little tricks that can make the weeds not to regrow too soon which I learned while growing up. They are but not limited to the following

• Identify the wanted weeds

• Identify the unwanted weeds

• Bend over the wanted weeds and target the unwanted weeds

Using your hole, cut deep to the roots of the unwanted weeds to ensure that you remove the greater part of the roots if not all

• As much as possible, try to gather the removed weeds at a place

	Shake off the sand on the weeded weeds

Then gather them at a designated place away from the wanted weeds.

• Add sand to the wanted weeds

These few tips will prolong the regrowth of the unwanted weeds and thus give space for the wanted weeds to thrive.

Did we get tired

I thought I wouldn't be able to weed for long since it has been very long since I weeded a farm apart from the little I weed around my compound. But to my surprise, I kept weeding and weeding without getting tired. Could it be because I have been exercising? Well, that is definitely a contributing factor as strength is needed to weed. I have been training myself on strength and endurance exercises. Yes, I have really been seeing and feeling the real benefits of exercising. I will surely keep recommending exercises to all my friends.

I didn't get tired for real. My son too was really encouraging.

We stopped for the day, not because we were tired, but because it was getting darker and darker as the son went in.

Additionally, we witnessed a speedy entrance of soldier ants into the farm as it gets darker. My son went to drop the weeds he gathered at a designated place and noticed it. As he informed us, I thought he was joking or perhaps, it is just a small ant. But no, they were trooping in as soldiers. Guess what? We ran for our lives. We left in a hurry to avoid being attacked. It was already dark anyways. We had to leave else, we would have gone to another location in the farm and continued.

That was it for that day. We were able to weed 1/3 of the entire farm that day. Great achievement indeed! We paid 6000 (25 steem) then to the person that we contracted to weed the farm then. Now, we are going to save that amount and even more because he won't accept that amount again now because cost of things here in my country keeps increasing daily. I am grateful to the Almighty for the strength and wisdom and for my family members who are very supportive in times like this. Yes, we did it!

We will go back again to see how far we will go again though my husband and my son went yesterday being Thursday already while I and my daughter went out for the ministry.

One thing is certain, weeding keeps the wanted weeds healthy, this contributing to a healthy environment*. Do you know that?