WhatsAppAsk Google “which fertilizer is best for arrowroot?” and you get chemistry noise. On Kenyan Dasheen fields, the answer that protects bulking is simpler: well-decomposed goat or cow manure, applied correctly, with clean water.
Best fertilizer for arrowroot (our farm rule)
| Input | Use? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Goat manure (decomposed) | Yes | Top choice with cow manure |
| Cow manure (decomposed) | Yes | Use at planting and 2-week top-up |
| Chicken manure | No for bulking | Better for many vegetables; poor nduma returns |
| Pig manure | No for bulking | Same issue as chicken on tuber fill |
Application schedule
- At planting: ~500 g well-decomposed farmyard manure per hole (20–30 cm deep).
- Place sucker so it touches the hole bottom; light soil cover.
- After 2 weeks: goat or cow manure top-up.
- Season-long: keep weeds down; water 6+ months so nutrients can work.
Why “hot” manures fail arrowroot
Chicken and pig manures often push leafy growth logic that does not translate into marketable corm fill on nduma. Farmers then blame variety when the manure was wrong.
Pair fertilizer with clean suckers
Manure cannot fix diseased or weak planting material. Use clean Dasheen suckers where possible: Ksh 10, minimum 500 - see seedlings information.