China Grass of Ramie (Weight Increase by N and K and the Whole Cultivation).

China Grass of Ramie
(Weight Increase by N and K and the Whole Cultivation). 

We would like to imform the effect of important fertilizer on ramie plant (Nitrogen and Potash), and then the whole cultivation of ramie.

I. Effect od Nitrogen and Potash.

China grass  is considered as the first markettable yield in ramie cultivation.  The yield is obtained through the process of decortication.  This process  involves the removal of fibre from the stalk.  In the ramie plant the individual fibres occur in the form of bast bundles with the ends overlapping so as to produce filaments throughout the length of the stalk.  The individual fibres are held in place and to each other by gum, waxes and pectins.

Effect of Sheep Dung Supplemented with Package of  Nitrogen and Potassium  fertilizer on  China Grass Fibre Weight

Treatment	Average of China Grass Weight per Plot (g)
A  10 ton Sheep Dung (25 kg N + 25 kg K) B  10 ton Sheep Dung (45 kg N + 45 kg K) C  20 ton Sheep Dung (25 kg N + 25 kg K) D  20 ton Sheep Dung (45 kg N + 45 kg K)	414   a 493  a 710  b 825  c

The Table reads that fertilization treated to ramie plants affect the development of fibre inside the stem.  Fibre is a  product of ramie.  Application of fertilizer changes the growth and development of the tissues and then consequently changes the development of organ. The increase of china grass product is in line with the increase of fertilizer dosages.

II. Cultivation of Ramie

Rami plant is a plant that produces fibers. Rami fiber including fine fiber (soft fiber) the same as Cotton  fiber. Rami fiber can be processed to obtain the yarn and the yarn can be woven into the fabric proper to be used as clothing.

Planting ramie plant is very easy. Plants can grow well as long as adequate water supply. This plant requires a lot of rain or climate area the rain season is long enough. Once the plants grow and produce high stems, the plants can be harvested every 60 days.

The characteristics of ramie  stems are ready to be harvested

Stem skin-color has changed from green to brown;

- Trunk fragile and contain fiber to shoot;

- The middle part of the stem is broken off;

-New shoots begin to grow.

Stems harvested by means of:

- Plants that meet the criteria should be harvested crop;

- Base ramie  stems cut flush with the ground, and leaves on the stem knocked out. The leaves can be used for green manure.

-Stems are Collected, and all equally cut end of the stem, and ready to be transported to a place of cultivated decortication is not far from the garden.

Processing Ramie  into fiber rods.

Ramie  fiber is an ingredient that is derived from the bark of ramie. Hemp fiber is still in the form of bundles as bound by pectin layer commonly called gum, which is a kind of long-chain carbohydrates that cause the fiber strands are bound to each other. To make the stem bark of the hemp fiber hemp be ready spun, there are several steps that must be passed, as follows:

1 decortication (separation of fibers from the bark).

Decortication produces raw jute fiber (china grass). Dekortisasi process should be as fast as possible, no later than 2x24 hours from the time of harvest. Dekortisasi done in two ways: mechanically using dekortikator machine and manually using handytool.

The way the separation of fibers from flax stems with handytools as follows: (1) Rod wet harvest has been cleared of leaves and trim the ends, kept in the shade as a stand for ± 2 weeks; (2) After the stems are dried for 2 weeks, the stem will become dry and dark brown, then taken every 3-5 pengdekortikasian rods in broken-break for every 10 cm; Each rod has been broken and separated from the stems, scraped by means of rubbing; (3) And so on until the entire shaft run out and produce fiber china grass.

2 degumming (removal of gum, pectin and other substances)

China grass decortication results still need to be processed further to remove gum, pectin, and other content that is not needed. Degumming is carried out by boiling the china grass in boiling water for 2 hours, stirring briefly and then removed and washed with water, dried with a centrifugal and dried to 15% moisture content live. In order to get the white fibers, the fiber degumming results are still yellowish soaked with chlorine compounds (Ca-Na-hypochlorite or hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Soaking followed by heating at 50 ° C for 1 hour, then washed and dried.

3 Softening 

Fibers that have been removed sap pektinnya need to go through several steps to get ready spun fiber (staple fiber). The first stage is the relaxation of the fiber (softening). To relax the fibers used machine softener. Enter the fibers sufficiently to machine softener. Fiber that goes into the softener machine should already be in place, and at the exit of the machine must be held and directed. Fiber that has soothed ready dismembered.

4 Cutting (fiber cutting):

-Prepare Cutting machine and turn on the engine;

- Prepare flax fibers that have previously soothed;

- Take a taste of hemp fibers and add to the cutting machine,

- Jute fiber that has been cut is ready to be processed further.

5. Opening (fiber opening)

From then performed the opening mower fiber (ovening). Enter hemp fiber that has been cut into the machine ovening appropriate engine capacity. After experiencing the process of opening, hemp fibers exit from the machine that looks like cotton. At this stage the new hemp fiber can be spun or blended with other fibers. This result further ovening fiber inserted into the fiber smoothing machine, and generate ready spun fiber (staple fiber). Furthermore, fiber is packed with neat and ready to be sent to the spinning mill.

Ramie can be classified into commodity zero waste as the waste processed products as well as all parts of the hemp plant can be used as a non-processed products with high economic value . Some of the products that can be produced from plant waste such as planting medium hemp, organic fertilizer, animal feed, paper and health drinks.