BANABA CULTURAL MANAGEMENT

The banaba leaf extract has insulin called corosolic acid, best remedy for lowering blood sugar due to diabetes.

Harvest mature fruits from a good and healthy tree. To be able to crush the hardest part of the seed, the pericarp, use mallet or other heavy object. Let it air-dry the crushed seeds from one week to remove the moisture content to prevent insect infestation or fungal contamination. The purpose is to store the extracted seed in longer time before the schedule sowing.        

If you have the option to immediately plant the seed, wait for 3 days before doing so. Prepare seedbed measuring 1 meter wide and 5 meters long. Mix the soil used in the seedbed with equal part of sand to serve as germination medium. It is also to let the soil aerated with good drainage system.

Before sowing the seeds to the seedbed, soak the seeds for 12 hours in the water. Remove it and air-dry for another 12 hours. The purpose is to break the dormancy of the seeds and the germination rate of the seeds will be higher.

Sow the seeds in rows easy to transfer to the plastic bags ready for transplanting. Place rice straw at the top of the sown seeds to serve as mulch to the seedbed to conserve soil moisture and prevent leakage of moisture that will result to dryness. With enough moisture, the germination process will be successful.

Prepare the potting medium by using polyethylene bags. Perforate the bottom portion of the bagging to let excess water out of the bags during watering. Use bags with measurement of 5 inches by 8 inches. The potting medium should be a mixture of top soil and small part of compost and sand. After mixing, sieve the mixed soil to remove any impurities before transferring to potting media. It should be placed in the field shaded area.

Start transplanting the seedling in the seedbed to the potting media, the plastic bags 14 days after the germination process. This is also to protect and minimize damage to the roots. Water the transplanted seedlings by doing misting technique to control the moisture enough for the transplanted seedlings. The seedlings will remain in the shade for 3 weeks.

Slowly reduce watering 3 weeks after transplanting. Exposure to direct sunlight is needed to harden the trees in the potting medium. Once it hardened, transfer the potted medium to the prepared areas for planting.

Planting field should have enough irrigation facilities and near the water source easy to have watering schedule to the plants especially during dry season.

Remove all kinds of weeds that will affect the growth of the plants. Prepare the land by plowing and harrowing thoroughly to ensure that the area is free from possible germination of weeds during the planting schedule.

Plant the seedlings an equal distance 3 meters between rows and 3 meters between hills. This is to maximize the number of trees in one hectare. For staking the hills, use bamboo sticks for identification of the measured distance during the digging of holes. The diameter of the holes should be large enough for the potted medium to fit to the hole firmly and properly placed.

Water the plants in certain period of time during the onset of dry season to avoid stressing the plants. Continue weeding the plants regularly to control competition or soil nutrients.

To preserve soil moisture, place rice straw as mulch at the base of the plants during dry condition. Apply organic fertilizer composed of compost materials and animal manure around the plants.