Alix Philizot

Thanks a lot, Jack, I will have a look in more depth today and see what I do if I find anything! I will make sure to let you know on this post.
And yes it is a solenoid i am looking for, but i find find the whole pump i'll be happy too.

Hello Cristobal,

Nope, never seen nor tasted,

Here are the pictures I've got.

Yes, not easy to know M Ljin! I thought of a kind of "muscat" grape, but I am amazed by its growth in 2 years, especially in Madagascar!!!
I'll check out the species you mention

Hello,

About two years ago I did a trial planting of a vine here in South-East Madagascar, and it performed quite well.

The issue is that I don’t know exactly which species it is.

Would anyone be able to help identify it if I share some photos?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Hello,

I am currently looking for a part for my tractor and would appreciate any help.

Tractor: Valpadana 4WD 455
Injection pump details:
Marking on pump: CIPA ZC 2023
Reference: CPFR 3K7C/1078/1

Part needed:
An accessory mounted on the injection pump (on the pump body).

I am based in Madagascar, but I can arrange international shipping (DHL or similar), so location is not a problem.
If anyone has this part available, or knows where I could find it (supplier, website, or equivalent part), I would really appreciate your help.

I can put more detailed information or a video of the actual problem if needed.

Thank you in advance.

Hello Douglas,

Thank you for your reply. I must say it’s not always easy here to find good nitrogen sources, but I can definitely add some zebu dung. I’m thinking of adding it a few days before turning the pile.

For the brown material, as shown in my sketch, it’s only the thin black layers — roughly 2 cm thick, added every three layers.

I really like your idea of turning every two weeks and observing how each pile evolves. I will start turning one soon and record data for each pile to compare results.

I’m also considering using “half-finished” compost — turning it now, storing it in strategic places around the farm, and then adding cow dung when needed before application.

Thanks again for your help. I’m still quite new to this and learning step by step, so your insights are very valuable.

Have a good Sunday.

Hello,

I just built these compost piles 2 weeks ago (photos attached) and I’d like a quick opinion.

How I built them:
dry grass
green waste
wood chips
neem & castor cake
(repeated in layers, about 40 cm total)

It heated up well at the start, but now the temperature is clearly dropping.

My question:

Should I turn it now, or just leave it to finish?

Bonus questions (quick answers welcome):

Is this layering method good or should I mix everything from the start?
How do you store finished compost properly (sun, rain, cover)?

Trying to improve my system before scaling, so any practical advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Hello,

I’ve been growing Thai hibiscus (roselle) in South-East Madagascar for the past two years, currently on about 3.5 hectares.

Young and not very experienced!

We’ve had strong results so far:
- around 0.5 kg of flowers per plant
- no pesticides or insecticides
- manual irrigation focused at the base of the plant
- good compost management

We also tested a small rainfed plot (0.7 ha), and it performed better than expected.

Now I am preparing to scale to 15–20 hectares.

Before doing that, I feel like I might be about to make a structural mistake.

The key decision:

I am considering planting at 50 × 50 cm spacing to maximise yield per hectare.
At small scale, this seems to work.
But at larger scale, I’m not sure.

My concerns:

The key decision

I’m wondering if this density could create problems later such as:
harvesting becoming too slow or inefficient
plants competing too much over time
airflow issues or delayed disease pressure
lower yield per plant even if yield per hectare looks higher

The question
For those who have experience with hibiscus or similar crops:
Is 50 × 50 cm spacing a mistake when scaling?
At what point does density stop being an advantage and start becoming a problem?