Guava is a popular fruit in Bangladesh, found all over the country in the monsoon. The planting season for guava is May to September, or mid-Baishakh to mid-Ashwin, so this is the time to plant guava saplings or seeds.

Dig pits measuring 60 centimetres on every side. Planting distance can be 3 to 6 metres by 3 to 6 metres. Mix 10 to 15 kg of rotted cow dung or compost, 250 g of TSP and 250 g of potash fertiliser with the soil from the pit. After applying the fertiliser, fill the pit and leave it for 10 to 15 days.

May to September is the right time, though with irrigation guava can be planted all year round. Ten to 15 days after filling the pit, turn the soil over and dig the pit again. First carefully tear away the polythene around the sapling, then cut off any roots sticking out. Set the sapling upright in the pit and press the soil around its base gently to firm it.

Depending on the variety, 300 to 625 saplings or grafts are needed per hectare.

Apply fertiliser each year in three instalments: at flowering in Falgun (February), at fruit set at the end of Baishakh in May, and after harvest at the end of Bhadra (September). Mix the fertiliser well into the soil starting about 2.5 cubits from the base of the trunk and out as far as the branches spread.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.