Tapioca/ ELAICHI / live plant stick grow indoor and outdoor

Growable Live plant 2 stick in a pack 

Preparation of land 
Before planting, plough the field 2-3 times or dig to a depth 25-30 cm depending upon soil type to establish a deep porous field in which the setts are to be planted. 

Planting material 
Tapioca is propagated from cuttings. Select mature healthy stems free from diseases or pests. Discard about 10 cm from the lower mature and about 30 cm from the upper immature end. Stems should be cut into setts of 15-20 cm length using a sharp knife. About 2000 stems are required for planting one hectare. Harvested stems are to be stored vertically in shaded and well-aerated places. Spraying dimethoate (0.05%) on the stem will control scale insects.  
Season and planting 
The main planting seasons are April-May with the onset of southwest monsoon and September-October with the onset of north-east monsoon. Planting can also be done during February-April, provided sufficient moisture is made available through irrigation. For maximum tuber production, April-May planting is preferred because the crop can effectively utilize both the monsoons. The second best season is September-October. 

Pit, flat, ridge or mound method of planting can be adopted depending upon soil type, topography of land and elevation so that waterlogging is avoided. Pit followed by mound is found to be the best method of planting. Plant the cuttings vertically after smoothening the lower cut end, at a depth not exceeding 4-6 cm. Adopt square method of planting at a spacing of 90 x 90 cm @ one cutting per pit. It is preferable to adopt 75 x 75 cm spacing for non-branching varieties like M-4. 

Gap filling should be done within 15 days after planting preferably with longer setts of 40 cm length. Sree Visakha is a choice variety recommended as an intercrop in coconut gardens. Optimum plant population is 8000 plants per ha with 90 x 90 cm spacing. 

Seeds and sowing 
Sweet potato is propagated by means of vine cuttings. To obtain vine cutting, raise nurseries from selected tubers using the following method. Eighty kg of medium sized weevil free tubers (each of 125-150 g) are required for planting in the primary nursery area (100 m2 to plant one hectare). Intercropping in tapioca 
Tapioca is planted at a spacing of 90 x 90 cm and it takes about 3-3.5 months time to have enough canopy to cover the land. So it is possible to have an intercrop of groundnut during the early stages of tapioca crop. Bunch varieties like TMV-2, TMV-7, TG-3, TG-14 and Spanish improved are preferred for intercropping in tapioca. The best season for sowing groundnut is May-June. Immediately after planting of tapioca setts, groundnut seeds are sown at a spacing of 30 cm between rows and 20 cm within rows, so that two rows of groundnut can be accommodated in between two rows of cassava. A seed rate of 40-50 kg/ha is recommended for dibbling one seed per hill. Only well-matured and bold seeds are to be selected for sowing. In acid laterite soils of Kerala, apply 1000 kg/ha of lime as basal dressing. A basal dose of 50:100:50 kg N:P2O5:K2O per ha should be given uniformly to both the crops. One month after sowing of the seed, 20 kg each P2O5 and K2O and 10 kg N / ha may be given to the intercrop along with earthing up. Once pod formation has started (i.e., 40-45 days after sowing) the soil should not be disturbed, as it will affect the pod development adversely. The groundnut crop matures in 105 to 110 days. After the harvest of pods, the haulms are incorporated in the soil along with a top dressing of 50 kg each of N and K2O per ha for the main crop. By adopting this practice, 20-25% additional income can be obtained.