PENGURUSAN PEMULIHAN TANAH YANG TIDAK SUBUR

Tanah-tanah terbiar seperti tanah bekas lombong, bendang, tanah paya dan tanah gambut boleh dimajukan untuk pertanian. Disini diterangkan secara ringkas tentang pengurusan pemulihan tanah yang tidak subur.

TANAH BEKAS LOMBONG  keadaannya tidak sama, ada yang mengandungi banyak lumpur, ada yang seratus peratus pasir dan ada pula yang mengandungi lumpur dan pasir halus.  Tanah yang mengandungi liat sehingga 100 cm adalah sesuai ditanam dengan tanaman kekal seperti buah-buahan, sayur-sayuran dan bunga-bungaan.  Tanah yang mengandungi banyak pasir memerlukan campuran tanah liat gembur atau tanah atas dan bahan organan yang dimasukkan ke dalam lubang menanam untuk membolehkan akar dapat zat makanan dan menjadi asas yang kukuh supaya pokok tidak mudah tumbang.Pengurusan tanah untuk pertanian agak tinggi termasuklah penggunaan baja organan dan kimia, pengairan yang mencukupi dan bahan sungkupan yang diletakkan pada pangkal pokok untuk mengurangkan kekeringan dan menyejukkan akar.  Pembajaan kimia perlu dibuat sedikit-sedikit tetapi lebih kerap.  Ini adalah kerana tanah pasir tidak dapat menyimpan baja dalam jangkamasa yang lama.  Pembajaan sebanyak 2-3 kali sebulan adalah sesuai.  Tanah bekas lombong yang mengandungi banyak lumpur pun perlu dibaja.  Ini adalah kerana tanah bekas lombong telah hilang zat-zat pemakanan dalam tanah semasa kerja-kerja perlombongan.Tanaman-tanaman yang telah didapati berjaya ditanam di atas tanah bekas lombong adalah jambu batu, betik, belimbing besi, limau bali dan mempelam.  Banyak tanaman lain yang berpotensi boleh ditanam di atas tanah bekas lombong seperti cempedak, nangka, ciku, limau dan manggis dengan syarat pengurusan tanah dan tanaman dibuat dengan betul.

TANAH BEKAS BENDANG dan tanah paya mengandungi liat yang tinggi.  Pada keadaan semulajadinya ia sesuai untuk padi dan sagu atau dijadikan kolam ternakan ikan atau udang.  Tetapi jika saliran dibuat ia dapat ditanam dengan berbagai tanaman singkat masa dan tanaman kekal.  Peringkat awal persediaan ladang melibatkan kerja-kerja membuat saliran atau parit untuk mengeringkan tanah.  Kebanyakan tanah bekas bendang atau paya berkeadaan masam selepas dikeringkan.  Oleh itu pengapuran adalah perlu untuk menaikkan pH dan juga membaiki keadaan tanah liat supaya menjadi lebih gembur.  Kadar kapur yang diberi adalah mengikut keadaan kemasaman tanah yang dapat ditentukan melalui analisa di makmal.  Kapur ditabur di atas seluruh permukaan dan dibajak ke dalam tanah.  Penambahan bahan-bahan organan juga dapat membaiki keadaan tanah disamping menjadi baja pada tanaman.  Bahan organan elok dibubuh dalam lubang menanam.

TANAH GAMBUT merupakan salah satu tanah bermasalah.  Ianya kurang sesuai untuk pertanian oleh kerana keadaannya tidak berstruktur, selalunya masam dan paras air dalam tanah selalunya tinggi.  Terdapat tiga jenis tanah gambut iaitu tanah gambut tidak hancur, gambut separuh hancur dan gambut hancur.Tanah gambut sesuai untuk tanaman singkat masa seperti sayur-sayuran, jagung dan nenas.  Untuk tanaman kekal ketebalan gambut mestilah kurang dari 1 meter.  Pengurusan tanah gambut yang penting ialah mengawal paras air dalam tanah.  Air dalam tanah perlu disalirkan berperingkat-peringkat.  Peringkat awal parit cetek sedalam 30-45 cm dibuat dan selepas beberapa tahun, parit ini didalamkan lagi.  Ini adalah supaya pereputan gambut tidak berlaku dengan cepat.  Jika paras air diturunkan dengan cepat, gambut akan cepat reput dan tanah menjadi susut dengan banyak dan juga terjadi pengeringan tidak berbalik pada tanah.  Pengapuran mesti dibuat untuk mengurangkan kemasaman disamping menambahkan zat pemakanan dalam tanah.  Pembajaan yang betul mesti dibuat.  Jika terdapat tanda-tanda pokok tidak subur pembajaan unsur-unsur pekit seperti Boron dan Kuperam mungkin perlu dibuat kerana tanah gambut kurang unsur pekit.Untuk menanam tanaman kekal, anak pokok perlu ditanam secara sistem lubang dalam lubang, di mana perlu dibuat lubang besar dalam anggaran 120 cm lebar panjang 30 cm dan 60 cm dalam mengikut ketebalan gambut.  Dalam lubang besar ini dibuat lubang menanam dan ditimbus hanya lubang menanam sahaja.Jenis-jenis tanaman kekal yang sesuai ditanam ialah kelapa sawit, kopi, koko dan buah-buahan seperti cempedak, nangka, rambutan dan mempelam serta lain-lain tanaman yang berakar cetek dan sederhana dalam.

TANAH BRIS  merupakan tanah bermasalah yang terdapat di persisiran pantai Laut Cina Selatan.  Kawasan ini menerima purata curahan hujan 100-120 mm setiap tahun.  Tekstur tanah yang berpasir dan bahan organik yang sangat rendah menjadikannya sukar untuk diurus.  Butiran tanah pasir bercerai berai dan daya menyimpan air dan nutrien adalah rendah.  akibatnya tanah cepat kering dan proses larut resap nutrien adalah tinggi.  Keadaan ini menyebabkan tanaman tidak dapat tumbuh dengan subur dan hasil adalah tersangat rendah.

Cara membaiki tanah Bris: Memilih baja yang sesuai adalah salah satu faktor penting didalam kerja-kerja pengurusan pembajaan tanah bris.  Disamping baja kimia, tanah bris memerluakn baja organan untuk memperbaiki keadaan fizikal tanah dan meninggikan keupayaan tanah memegang dan menyimpan air serta baja.  Baja organan yang biasa digunakan adalah seperti tahi ayam, tahi lembu, tahi kambing, 'sludge' kelapa sawit, tandan kosong kelapa sawit, baja hijau, kompos dan tanah gambut.  Kadar penggunaan bajar organan adalah sekurang-kurang 20 kg/pokok/tahun.  Bahan organan perlu dicampur dengan tanah bris atau diletakkan di dalam lubang sebelum penanaman dijalankan.  Cara penggunaan tandan kosong ialah dengan mengisikannya ke dalam lubang yang digali lebih besar daripada biasa.  Tandan kosong akan megalami proses pereputan dan akar yang memanjang akan dapat mengambil zat makanan yang dihasilkan dari pereputan tersebut. Pembajaan duan nutrien mikro (Fetrilon Combi Red, 3 kg/hektar) dan pengapuran (0.5 kg GML/pokok/tahun) juga perlu diberikan kepada pokok.  Pembajaan mesti dipecahkan ke beberapa kali yang dianggap ekonomik supaya kehilangan nutrien melalui larut resap dapat dikurangkan.

Sistem pengairan Tanaman buah-buahan di atas tanah bris memerlukan sistem pengairan yang sempurna untuk membekalkan air kepada tanaman secukupnya.  Pengairan titis perlu disediakan untuk menyiram pokok mengikut kelembapan tanah.  Pada musim kemarau pengairan perlu dibuat selama 2 jam (45 liter/pokok).

 (Berita Pertanian Bil. 48 (Januari-Jun 1989)

How to adding value to your property through renovation

Property renovation is not easy. It requires patience and hard work, but if done well the rewards are fantastic. We ask Isabelle Sterboul, Director of AIQ Global, a group that buys old properties in prime areas of KL, renovates them, and then sells or rents them, for some of her ideas on how to make sure your renovation adds value to your home. 

Bounce off agents any ideas you have, particularly if you are renovating to sell. Don't be arrogant and assume you know it all - listen to them carefully. Agents, even ones with two or three years experience, know what you need to do to make a property sellable, as they are the ones selling them all day - they meet buyers very frequently and listen into their complaints and compliments. They are a valuable source of knowledge - and they'll always give advice for free. 

Use an architect. Unless the changes that you wish to make are purely cosmetic (like painting, re-tiling, etc...) ensure that you use the services of a registered architect. The architect will make sure that your renovation complies with the governing by-laws and that you obtain all necessary approvals before work begins. Without the necessary approvals you risk having lots of problems later on, and it's not worth the headache. The local authorities may give you a stop order, you will get fined, and you may find it difficult to sell the property. 

Make sure that your design allows for plenty of light into your house, and try to give the house an open feel. Large windows and open plan concepts will both add value to your house. 

Apply for planning and building permission before you acquire the property. This will increase the return on your project by saving you interest costs and shorten your turn around period, or if you are buying for your own stay it will mean you can move in earlier which will save on interest costs. 

Hire sub-contractors directly if you have time. By doing so you will save the costs of the middle-man - your main contractor. Typically a main contractor will mark-up any sub-contractor prices by around 10%. But if you don't have time this 10% is certainly worth it - hiring a tiler, an alarm specialist, a plumber, an electrician, negotiating with all of them, and then making sure their work is good is not easy - and having one person to complain about anything is a positive 

Have written and signed agreements with your contractor(s). Not doing so is a recipe for disputes. State the time the work must be finished by and put penalties for late completion. If you don't put penalties explicitly in your contract, expect your work to be delayed. 

Make progress payments in small increments as the work is being done. Avoid having a scenario where the contractor could be tempted to just run off with your money. Always make sure the contractor is incentivised to continue to work. However you must be reasonable too. Some work involves a significant cost upfront for the contractor. For example if you're buying items like custom made wardrobes clearly the contractor would be at risk if you paid him/her after the wardrobes were made - he/she would need a fairly large deposit for them to feel comfortable placing a big order. 

Visit the property at least once a day. It means if you are not happy with something there's enough time to make amendments without a significant cost. It will also keep the workers on the ball. 

Be fussy on the quality of the finish. If you do not complain about poor quality work, no-one else will. Go around the house constantly looking for anything to complain about. The more you complain, to a point, the more the contractors will ensure their work is of a high quality. Go around with a big red market pen pointing out any defects, and do not hesitate to use it. 

Focus on the bathrooms and the kitchen. These areas determine, more than any other, whether a property feels modern. A great kitchen will often tempt the women, and they're usually the ones that make the decisions! Also, the master bedroom is important as this is the room where, typically, the purchaser of the house will sleep.

Take into account fung shui, even if you don't subscribe to it yourself. Others do, and that matters, particularly in Chinese areas. 

Choose neutral colours and unless you are experienced do not be bold with your designs. If you keep it simple that is usually best. Any bold statements can come though the furniture, which can always be removed if they do not work well.

How to find a good office

    Location is probably the most important concern when it comes to finding a good office. Traveling for meetings, delivering goods and services, and attracting customers and clients can be a hassle if you have a poor location. You, your customers and your employees have to be happy and productive in that space, and cutting costs and choosing poor space is fast way to kill your business.

    

    Think about the space you will need, hopefully with enough room for some expansion without requiring you to move within the too near future. If you can find raw space on the fringe of your desired location, this strategy could prove lucrative to you in the future. It may require more up-front time and planning on your part, but it can have enormous financial and professional benefits. Being ahead of the pack is the best place to be.

    

    It's also important that you find an office in a building that's well maintained and well run. Is the landlord notorious for not fixing the heat? Are elevators operating efficiently and the bathrooms cleaned regularly? No one to spend time in an office-either working there or just doing business there-that's unattractive, uncomfortable, and inhospitable.

How to buy a house

         The real estate market can be terrifying, which is part of reason i love it so much. But it can be downright petrifying when it involves what may be your most valuable possession: your home. The market change every day, sometimes every minute. For home buyers, some of whom will buy one house in a lifetime, trying to time the market perfectly can be ridiculous waste of time. In ten, twenty, or forty years, any small variations in the price of your house will have amortized into a blip on your financial radar screen.

         Before you start looking for a house, or even figuring out what you can afford to buy, make sure you have money socked away. Brokers and sellers will take your seriously, and you will increase your bargaining power as you're able to increase the size of your down payment. Buying a house is a serious investment, and banks and leaders will be there to help you make that investment. A typical home buyer will access to one hundred percent financing, and you have to be as invested as your leader. The down payment should be your own personal gauge for your commitment to the house. Don't lose sight of checks and balances because ultimately it will all come down to your checks and balances.

         

     While it's good to be mindful of costs when buying a house, don't go overboard. Don't try to save money on necessary items, such as not getting a survey where it might be of value, or relying on people who are not well recommended or not known. Do not attempt to save small amounts of money on items that are important parts of the process. People often stupidly try to save money at real estate closing, since some adjustments will probably still be made and the negotiations will not have ended. But don't be hardheaded and cheap when it comes to buying a house. It's counterproductive. 

      Simply put aside some money before you begin the house-buying process call it your reserve budget, and then legal and financial situations that arise will not be skipped to cut costs. Undermining the purchase of your home from beginning will only end up haunting you down the line.