Rapid Sampaguita Plant Propagation

Sampaguita (Jasminum sambac) takes time to grow. Different methods were experimented to determine which is method will give the best results.

1. Direct Planting of cuttings

This is the most common practice of farmers. Cuttings are  directly planted into the soil with 3-5 cuttings per hill. However, this method is not reliable. Sampaguita tend to have buds on the first week of planting that is quite misleading as it ensembles a vigorous growth. A week after, it starts to wilt: a sign of fungal attack. Those which survives are characterized by slow growth. Thus, the plant is easily overgrown by weeds.

Success rate: 0%-20%

2. Cutting

Cutting is the most common method of propagation. Matured stem are cut at 6-in long. The cuttings are planted in the soil-rice hull mixture in the seedling bag. 

Success rate: 50-80%

Freshly cut sampaguita stem

Leaves are removed. Two-three cuttings are placed every seedling bag. 

3. Marcotting

Marcotting is not a new technique but not widely practiced. Two cuts or girdle on the bark of the plant is made at least an inch using sharp cutter. The cutter is moved in circular motion around the stem. Since the bark is very closely attached, it is scraped. Wrap soil-rice hull mixture using a plastic.The plant starts to root on the first month and harvestable after 3 months. 

Success rate: 50-80%

Scraped bark of the plant.

Marcotting paraphernalia.

Marcotted sampaguita plants. 

Marcotted plants with roots already visible. 

Each of the method has its downside and advantage. At the end of the day, it is best to know that each method produces flowers we all ♥.

Sampaguita Nursery

Introduction

Sampaguita plants tend to grow well in nursery rather than plant directly the cuttings. Each seedling bag has 3-4 cuttings. Sampaguita is slow growing plant thus necessary care should be done for successful culture. 

Lay-outing

            In every cluster, put 4 rows of seedling bags. Distance between clusters is 0.50 cm. This will allow for uniform sunlight distribution, easy weeding and ease of access for the farmer when harvesting the buds.

Propagules

            Select only the matured stems (mostly whitish). Cut at 6-inch long per cutting.

Soil and rice hull media

            Mix 3 part rice hull to 1 part soil. Manually put the mixture in the seedling bag.             

Planting

            Use any strong, straight object (in our case, screw driver), in drilling holes in the soil and rice hull mixture in the seedling bag. Drill hole at 3-inch deep. Place the sampaguita cuttings in the hole.

Irrigation

            During the months of October to February in the province of Albay, rain is enough to water the nursery. However, during summer months, you may need sprinklers. TIP: Place your nursery near creeks. Put water inlet control valve and flood the nursery overnight for at least thrice a week.

Care and maintenance

Hand weeding can be employed to control weeds.

Diseases

            Damping-off is very common. Practice good drainage system.

Fertilizer

            The seedlings need not to be fertilized. If fertilizer will be applied, a very small amount of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) or urea (46-0-0) per seedling bag is enough to prevent roots burning.

 Transplanting

            The seedlings are not ready for transplanting after 9 months. 

Have questions in mind? Email: sandybbobier@gmail.com

Bobier Sampaguita Farm

This is a family owned farm established in the ‘70s. The third generations of Bobier continue to cater the local demand of the sampaguita flowers in the provinces of Albay, Catanduanes, Sorsogon and Samar.

Estimated demand of garland in the city of Tabaco alone is around 3,000 garlands per day while adjacent municipalities in Albay require only a fraction of it. In Catanduanes, Sorsogon and Samar, at least 1,000 garlands are needed per day.

In early 2000, markets were highly saturated due to overproduction. In 2004, there was a plan to convert the farm to other crops. By 2008, erratic climatic condition resulted in low production. With new techniques developed, Bobier farm continues to dominate the market.

With the booming demand, expansion of the farm started in 2013.

So what the things we should consider in sampaguita production?

Site selection

                Sampaguita prefers sandy-loam soil. It is not a shade-loving plant so removal of tall trees are required. However, retain trees on the boundaries to act as windbreakers.

 

Figure 1    Bobier Sampaguita Farm in 2008. Farm should be in an open field, with no large trees. 

Figure 2    Ivory (or strelleta) plants act as windbreakers and garland accessory. 

Land preparation

                Soil must be well ploughed and harrowed. For small farms, hoeing is more practical. Do not burn the weeds. Set it aside and let it naturally decompose.

Selection of planting materials

 Sampaguita can be propagated by:

1.  Stem cutting - Choose sturdy stems, preferably whitish colour. Do not select colored brown or green as these are still young. Cut for about 6-inch long.

2. Rooted stems – these are offshoot stems running horizontally near the base of the plant. Due to constant contact with soil, roots are developed. Using spade or hoe, carefully uproot the plant.  

Figure 3    Sampaguita propagule. Stem cutting remains the most reliable source of planting material.

Planting

Materials required:

1.       Tansi or pisi

2.       Tree guard or marker    

Plant sampaguita cuttings 0.5 m between hills and 1 m between rows.

Planting can be done in two ways:

1.       Direct planting – Place 4-6 cuttings per hill.

2.       Transplanting – place 1-2 cuttings per seedling bag

Figure 4    Sampaguita cuttings on seedling bag. Mortality rate is significantly reduced by up to 30% when sampaguita cuttings are allowed to root and fully develop as young plants in seedling bags.   

Figure 5    Four months old sampaguita plants.

Figure 6    Six months old sampaguita plants ready for planting.

Figure 7    Maintain healthy planting distance of plants to maximize the area.

Figure 8    Sampaguita at year 10.

Figure 9    Sampaguita plants in greenhouse.

Need more information?  Email: sandybbobier@gmail.com

I am a Farmer

                It was a hot summer day. The scorching weather condition makes the house turn into an instant “oven”. The unbearable heat almost burns my skin inside. Hot air is blown by the fan making it more useless. I was in Nueva Ecija then. I was working in a government agency concerning agriculture. Prior to my assignment here, I was managing my family’s farm. Though the two works are both engaged in agriculture, the functions are entirely different.

                At the age of 19, I took over the managing of our farm. As manager, I was engaged in the decision-making, planning, and directing not only the production but also in the marketing of our produce, which was flowers. As early as 5 in the morning, before the rooster’s crow, I was already in the farm. During the peak of harvest, I, together with my mother, lead the harvesting operation so as to have an immediate product to be marketed at the later part of the day. 30 minutes to one hour, or brothers/sisters will join me in the harvest. It takes us 3 hrs to complete harvesting the 600-m2 sampaguita farm. By 8 am, sunlight becomes a challenge to finish or not the operation. It would be continued at the less heat-intense period of the day, e.i. 4-5 pm. However, it’s not

Figure 1.0 Harvesting of sampaguita flower

Figure 2.0 Newly harvested sampaguita flowers

Figure 3.0 Freshly sewn sampaguita garland (especially made for graduation ceremonies) ready for    

                 marketing

Figure 4.0 Manual sewing of sampaguita garland

Figure 5.0 Termed as “ordinary”, this is the most common available form of sewn garland in the market year-

                 round

Figure 6.0 My dearest mother, Ana, sipping coffee to revitalize her body from exhausting field harvesting

Figure 7.0 There are still lots of sampaguita flowers to be harvested

Figure 8.0 My sister, Mary Joy and Mary Ann, enjoyable picking up the flowers

Figure 9.0 A close-up view of the sampaguita buds

Figure 10.0 Inside the greenhouse of sampaguita plants

Figure 11.0 Violet strellita is used to complement the sampaguita garland

Figure 12.0 Peak season harvest of sampaguita when it was not yet covered in greenhouse

the case always. Harvesting may be extended until 10 in the morning and restart harvesting at 2 pm. imagine the temperature of that part of the day! In fact, it’s the time the state-run weather station discourages the public to stay under the sun’s light.

                On my elementary days, summer is the peak season of sampaguita flowering. We used to harvest at my aunt’s farm. I can still remember when my mother would tell me to take a nap in the afternoon (which I always defy). Instead, after lunch, I would sneak and walk the 1-km distance from our house to my aunt’s farm. The farm is located along the rice farm. There would be no shades except to the occasional large clouds that cover the sun. I could bear the heat without even replenishing the lost water. After one or two hours, I would go home.

                My mother would call me then, “Sandy! How many times would I tell you not to go in the farm in this time of the day?”

                I would just smile as a response.

Back in Nueva Ecija. It saddens me remembering those memoirs. If was only at home, I might not be on an “oven” right now. I am suffering from this harsh weather not on-farm but at this heavily insulated house.  I am a farmer...and I need to go back to my farm.

Typhoon Chedeng Threats Agriculture

Local radio stations here in Tabaco City Albay broadcast that Typhoon Chedeng is about to hit the region at around 10:00 in the evening. The province has yet recovered from Typhoon Bebeng which "visited" around two weeks ago. I can still remember I was in Tiwi Albay the morning Bebeng came. At around 5 am in the morning, before leaving home(in Tabaco) I thought it would be sunny that day. I was wrong. Four hours later, the Bebeng was felt already to large areas of Albay. The typhoon lasted 12 hours. Most of our bananas were damaged, trees were toppled, roofs were blown, electrical wiring sagged, debris were all around. The impact of which were greatly to the field of agriculture. The month of May is rice harvesting season and I was so saddened to see rice paddy kissing the rice field. What a waste! Had the typhoon did not occur, these rice were harvested.A day before the Typhoon came, we had our sampguita  production at an average of 2000 pieces per day. After the storm, we had lost 3/4 of our harvest. Saklap anu?

Here are some of the glimpse of the wrath of typhoon Bebeng in Albay. (Hopefully typhoon Chedeng won't come, she has no more to damage..:-)..Bebeng had taken all.

Bananas were severely damaged  as rain and strong winds hit the shrubs. Too bad. 

This was what the sampaguita plants looked like after the typhoon.  Flower buds were blown leaving only few resilient buds in the branches.

Swept. This photo was taken at the height of Typhoon Bebeng. Evidently, even trees cannot hold on to there roots. 

Sampaguita buds in there non-bloom stages. This photo was taken before typhoon. Buds were in good sizes, no red petals, , and were in three's to fives in every panicle. Too bad again, these were lost in just few hours.

Resistant? No it was not. This banana surrendered to the force of nature.

Damaged peanut plants. There is this old saying that lowly organisms won't be hit dramatically by typhoons. But this lowly plants were not spared.

45 degree banana. This banana plant soon was conquered falling into the sampaguita plants. consequence was, sampaguita branches were broken and severely damaged.

Coconut Swaying in the winds. This trees looked as if dancing in the rythm of the winds. Luckily,non of these trees were uprooted. 

Sampaguita Farming: A New Wave in Flower Industry

Samapguita (Jasminum sambac) is one of the agricultural businesses in Tabaco City Albay. Farmers of this flower earn a well enough living to support a family. Dubbed as the Philippines' National Flower, sampaguita is one of the most in-demand flowers in the market. It is characterized of small flowers that stay close in the morning and blooms at night. A truly majestic type of flower, its life is short, usually last only for a day. With the onset of technological advancement, sampaguita can now last for 2-3 days by freezing the flowers in a cold storage.