Crop Production environment
Requires fertile loamy soil with adequate moisture. Can grow in any part of the country during the rainy season. Production in swampy areas is very common in the dry season
Plants perform well when fully exposed and do not grow well in the shade
Always by direct sowing since transplanting is impossible because of taproots
Mix seed with sand and/ or ash at ratio of 1:2 (i.e. 1 cup of seed: 2 cups of sand) to facilitate even sowing of seeds
Make shallow drills in the soil surface at spacing of 30 cm (1 ft)
Sow seeds mixed with sand and cover slightly
Pure stand performs better
Manure/ Fertilizer
Spider plant responds very well to
farmyard manure
In absence of organic manure, NPK may
be used
Incorporate the manure in soil during land
Preparation
Early flowering maybe due to very low
level of organic matter or little moisture
Crop Management
Spider plant grows vigorously and requires
weeding only in space between the rows
Keep the field weed free
Thin out seedlings growing too closely in a
row when soil is moist to avoid disturbing
the rest of plants
Harvesting
Harvest at 3-4 weeks after sowing before flowers open.
Harvest according to market demand i.e.- uproot whole plant
Pluck off the tender shoots (this allows development of new shoots for continuous harvesting).
Sprinkle some water on the heaps of shots to keep them fresh
Insect pests/ diseases
Purple spider plant varieties are less
affected by insects but are susceptible to diseases.
Spraying with any kind of pesticide is not
recommended. Sprinkling the affected plants with ash helps to chase off the pests.
Nutrition
Good source of calcium (Ca),
magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), and also vitamins A and C.
The bitter taste can be removed if milk is
added to the cooked vegetables especially when left overnight.
Other Uses
Useful for breast feeding mothers
Spider plant juice heals wounds
Helps against stomach ailments
Medicine for pneumonia
Treats headaches (rub leaves on head)
Have insect repellant characteristics. If
intercropped with other vegetables,
incidences of pests is much reduced.
Preparation and Utilization
Ingredients:
- 2 handful Spider plant
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 tbs. cooking oil
- ½ cup groundnut flour/paste
- 1 cup milk
- Salt
- 2 cups water
Procedure:
sort tender leaves of spider plant
wash and cut into small pieces
boil water, add salt & spider plant
then cover the pot till soft. Drain
wash, peel and slice tomato
clean, wash and slice onion
roast, remove the husks & grind the groundnuts finely
fry onions, add tomato and stir till soft
add boiled spider plant and stir well
