Jatropha fertilization and watering

I wanted to pass along some thoughts on fertilization and watering of Jatropha because there is some misleading information on the internet. Much of the information on the internet suggests that because Jatropha will grow on marginal lands with very little water, you don't have to worry about irrigation or fertilization. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If you intend to grow Jatropha for harvesting seeds, then irrigation and proper fertilization is essential. Otherwise, the yields will be mediocre at best.

I have 4 Jatropha micro stems that I planted - one last November and three in early April. The cutting I planted in November began to shows buds in February and is doing well. The other three started to bud a week after planting, but didn't do very much after that. It turns out that we were doing a couple of things wrong. My daughter Elizabeth replanted the three cuttings into soil that holds moisture better than the soil we started with. In general, we water them every other day, but the key is making sure the soil stays moist. The next thing she did was to add fertilizer. We are currently experimenting with 18-18-21 fertilizer. This made a difference since the 3 newest cuttings are now beginning to show more buds and the buds that were there before are finally starting to grow. I will continue to provide updates as these plants mature.

Jean-Marie is working on the small test plantation in Burundi, getting it ready for planting. I will be placing an order for our first 300 cuttings in a few weeks. Until then, I will provide periodic updates.

John