Leaf pruning, ablation, intercrops and pollination
Avoid severe leaf pruning, which reduces growth and yield. Keep about 6–7 leaves per spiral at 4–7 years, 5–6 at 8–14 years and 4–5 above 15 years. Flowering starts at 14–18 months: remove all early inflorescences by hand every month ("ablation") for up to 2½–3 years so the palm builds girth and roots. Vegetables, banana, flowers, chillies, turmeric, ginger and pineapple suit young gardens; under mature palms, shade-tolerant cocoa, pepper and heliconia. Do not cut or tie fronds for intercrops. Releasing the pollinating weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus after about 2½ years improves fruit set.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Oil Palm – Leaf pruning; ablation; intercropping; pollination, pp. 226–227
