DESPOSING OF PALM FRONDS (AFRICAN)

[Surfista]

I am attempting to educate myself a bit about African Palm cultivation. Specifically, I have been trying to find information in order to determine how Palm Growers (i.e, African Palm) dispose of palm fronds that have either naturally fallen or have been pruned.

Recently on a trip to Costa Rica, we passed by an African Palm plantation and I saw that the fallen/pruned branches were stacked in hundreds of piles between the Palm Trees (see photo attached). As a result, I believe there must be a way of disposing of the fronds that would be more efficient (burning in most places is not a viable option any more) and environmentally friendly. I would imagine stacking the fronds as it is currently done, takes years for the fronds to decompose (meanwhile, I would bet they make good homes for poisonous snakes and spiders) and reincorporate (and enrich) into the soil.

I would very much appreciate it if anyone can comment and help me in my efforts to educate myself.

All the best!

[Zeeth]

The natives of the Amazon often practiced slash and char techniques on trees that they felled, so I imagine that something similar could be done with huge stacks of palm leaves. Charcoal is an excellent soil amendment and it was used to create terra preta, some of the most fertile soils in the world. As such, charring is much better for the soil health than burning.

[Surfista]

Thanks for the input Zeeth.

[doranakandawatta]

In Sri Lanka, we just put the coconut leaves in piles like on your picture and it disappears and makes compost within 4 months.

Since we also got African palm (Oil palm= Elaeis?), self seeding plants we had to remove, it went to the same compost pile.

Just let the nature work, it works (in Srilankan climate).

You can see the situation in http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/44505-morning-garden-update-january-2015/

[doranakandawatta]

BTW, David,

Welcome on Palmtalk looking forward to seeing your next posts.

About snakes and spiders:

In Sri Lanka they belong to the nature as much as we humans do, so we share our garden with cobras….. and meet very naturally.

Cobras are living in holes in the earth, we see very well their houses, other snakes are living in the trees or wander in the palm fronds… they too enjoy palm gardens.

[Surfista]

Thank you Philippe.

[tropicbreeze]

African Oil Palm fronds do break down much faster than a lot of other palm fronds do. In an environment with high humidity and high temperatures microbial activity is rapid. Although in Papua New Guinea I noticed that burning the Oil Palm fronds was still the most common practice. For my own, I have 2 large African Oil Palms (about 20 metres of trunk) and one smaller so I don't have the same volume problems they have on the huge plantations. Coconut fronds take a lot longer (the base of the fronds is pretty solid), and I have a lot of coconuts. But that's another story.

As far as snakes and spiders go, people get a little too obsessive about them. They don't prey on humans so a little caution and common sense is all that's needed. It's far more dangerous to live in cities amongst humans than it is in nature with animals.

[edric]

Welcome David, check here on Palmpedia, I have amassed a bit of info, don't miss the links at the bottom of the page, Ed

http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Elaeis_guineensis

[Surfista]

Many thanks for the reply I received.

David (Surfista)

[John Case]

I just lay them down on bare areas of my garden. They suppress weeds and mulch the soil over time.....