Fertilizer guide · Bangladesh

Pummelo (Batabi lebu): how much fertilizer per tree?

Urea, TSP and MOP for each age of the tree, from BARC's Fertilizer Recommendation Guide 2024.

Short answer

BARC's Fertilizer Recommendation Guide 2024 gives a young Pummelo (Batabi lebu) tree (0–1 years) about 217 g of urea, 199 g of TSP and 181 g of MOP (potash) a year. A fully grown one (over 15 years) needs about 978 g of urea, 747 g of TSP and 803 g of MOP a year. Put the yearly dose on in 3 equal turns: februari, mei en oktober.

Batabi lebu, also called jambura.

Dose for each age

Find the age of your tree in the first column, counted in years since planting. The figures are grams per tree for one year; the first row is the planting pit. For an orchard, multiply by the number of trees and divide by 1,000 to get kilograms, or let the calculator below do it.

Yield goal about 120 kg of fruit per tree (for a tree over 15 years old)

Varieties in this group: BARI Batabilebu-3, BARI Batabilebu-4, BARI Batabilebu-5, BARI Batabilebu-6.

grams per tree
Age of tree (years)Urea (g)TSP (g)MOP (g)Organic manure (kg)S, Zn, B (g)
Before planting (in the pit)02991001545 · – · –
0–1 years old2171991811020 · 5 · 2
2–4 years old3262493211525 · 5 · 2
5–7 years old5433745022030 · 20 · 5
8–10 years old6524985522540 · 20 · 6
11–15 years old7615987033050 · 25 · 8
Over 15 years old9787478033560 · 25 · 10

On very acid soil the guide also adds 250 g of dolomite per tree every 3–4 years.

Source: BARC, Fertilizer Recommendation Guide 2024, page 120.

When to apply

Mix it into the planting pit 10–20 days before planting the sapling, then water it in.

Put the yearly dose on in 3 equal turns: februari, mei en oktober.

Put it around the tree under the spread of its branches, leaving some space from the trunk, mix it into the soil and water it in. Young trees get the same turns with smaller amounts.

Using DAP instead of TSP

DAP has the same 46% phosphate as TSP, so use the TSP figure as the DAP figure. DAP also carries 18% nitrogen (about 0.4 kg of urea saved per kg of DAP). The guide does not subtract it and neither do these tables, but you can take it off the urea if you want to.

How these numbers are worked out

BARC's guide gives grams of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) per tree for each age. We convert P to P₂O₅ (× 2.29) and K to K₂O (× 1.21), then divide by what is in the bag: urea 46% N, TSP 46% P₂O₅, MOP 60% K₂O. The guide's amounts are for the whole year; split them as shown under “When to apply”.

These are the guide's general doses for a healthy, well-managed tree, not a prescription for your orchard. Soil, variety, rainfall and crop load change what a tree needs. Check with your local Department of Agricultural Extension or horticulture officer.

Calculate for your orchard

Choose the crop, the age of your trees and how many you have, and get the kilograms and bags of fertilizer to buy, with a PDF to share.

Open the fertilizer calculator

Fertilizer calculator questions

How much urea does a Pummelo (Batabi lebu) tree need?

According to BARC's Fertilizer Recommendation Guide 2024, about 217 g a year for a young tree (0–1 years), rising to about 978 g for a fully grown tree (over 15 years). The dose goes up with the age of the tree.

How much TSP and MOP does a Pummelo (Batabi lebu) tree need?

About 199 g of TSP and 181 g of MOP a year for a young tree (0–1 years), and about 747 g of TSP and 803 g of MOP for a fully grown tree (over 15 years), according to BARC's Fertilizer Recommendation Guide 2024.

When should I put fertilizer on Pummelo (Batabi lebu)?

Put the yearly dose on in 3 equal turns: februari, mei en oktober. Put it around the tree under the spread of the branches, mix it into the soil and water it in.

Fertilizer doses for other crops