Black pepper- Planting activities

Black Pepper is propagated through two noded semi-hard wood cuttings. Around 450 plants can be accommodated in an acre.

The mother plants selected should be in the age group of 5-12 years. Mother plants should show desirable qualities like vigorous growth, maximum number of spikes per unit area, long spikes, close setting of berries, disease tolerance etc.

Select runner shoots produced at the base of mother plants and keep them coiled and to prevent them from striking roots in the soil. Separate them from the vines in February-March.

The middle one-third portion of runner shoot is preferred for planting. Very tender and hard portions of the shoots are to be avoided. The shoots are cut into pieces with 2-3 nodes in each.

Plant the cuttings in polythene bags filled with potting mixture with one node below the soil. Leaves, if any, are to be clipped off leaving a small portion of the petioles on the stem.

Planting of standards is to be taken up in April-May with the onset of pre-monsoon showers. Murukku (Erythrina indica) Karayam or Killingil (Garuga pinnata), Ailanthus sp., subabul (Leucaenea leucocephala) etc. are suitable standards for growing pepper.

In high altitude areas, dadap(E. lithosperma) and Silver oak (Grevillea robusta) can be successfully used as standard for pepper. Seedlings of subabul and silver oak are to be planted 2-3 years before planting pepper.

The spacing recommended is 3 m x 3 m on plain lands and 2 m between plants in rows across the slope and 4 m between rows on sloppy lands.

For planting pepper, prepare pits on the northern side of standards, 15 cm away from them. The pit size should be 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm. Fill the pits with a mixture of topsoil and compost or well rotten cattle manure @ 5 kg per pit.

With the onset of southwest monsoon in June-July, plant two rooted cuttings in the pits at a distance of about 30 cm away from the standards.

Press the soil around the cuttings and form a small mound slopping outward and away from the cuttings to prevent water stagnation around the plants.

For production of bush pepper, two to four node semi hard wood lateral branches are to be collected with a segment of orthotropic shoot intact and planted in the nursery for rooting during May-June.

Well rooted plants are used for field planting. The rooted cuttings are to be planted at 3 per pits or pots The potted plants are to be kept preferably under partial shade. It is necessary that re-potting is carried out after every two years.