How Many Kg of Fertiliser per Palm, by Age — and How Many Bags That Is

Fertiliser dosage for oil palm isn’t one number — it climbs as the palm matures, peaks once it’s fully into fruiting, then eases slightly as it ages further. Getting the band right matters more than getting the product right, since under-dosing a mature palm costs yield for a whole season.

The yearly dose by age band

Age band	kg per palm, per year	Typical round
Newly planted (0–1 yr)	1.5 kg	Every 90 days
Young, pre-fruiting (1–3 yr)	3.5 kg	Every 90 days
Early mature (3–8 yr)	6.0 kg	Every 120 days
Prime mature (8–20 yr)	7.5 kg	Every 120 days
Older stand (20+ yr)	6.5 kg	Every 120 days

Splitting it into rounds

The yearly total is the fixed target; the round length decides how it’s split. A young palm on a 90-day cycle gets its 3.5 kg/year in four smaller rounds; a mature palm on a 120-day cycle gets its 7.5 kg/year in three larger ones. If you prefer a different interval — some smallholders split rounds shorter in the driest months — the yearly total stays the same; only the size of each application changes.

A worked example

Worked example

3.5-acre lot, prime mature palms (8–20 years), 60 palms/acre.

Palms: 3.5 × 60 = 210 palms
Yearly total: 210 × 7.5 kg = 1,575 kg/year = 32 bags (50 kg) a year
Per round (120-day cycle): 7.5 × 120/365 = 2.47 kg/palm × 210 = 518 kg = 11 bags per round, three rounds a year

Calculate your lot

Calculator

Kg and bags for your own lot

Lot size (acres) Palm age (years) Soil type

Palms (at 60/acre)—

Per round (every —)—

Bags per round (50kg)—

Total per year—

Bags per year—

Save this to my lot

Frequently asked

My palms don’t have a planting record — how do I estimate age?

A trunk height rule of thumb is roughly 30–45cm of visible trunk growth per year once fruiting starts; a neighbour who remembers when the block was planted is usually a faster and more reliable answer.

Does tree density other than 60/acre change the total?

Yes — the per-palm rate stays the same, but total kg scales directly with how many palms you actually have. Count a sample row and multiply if your planting is denser or sparser than standard.

What happens if I skip a round?

The yearly total doesn’t roll over cleanly — a skipped round is lost potential, not fertiliser saved for later. It’s better to keep rounds on schedule even if a lighter dose is applied than to double up the next one.

Get this number without doing the maths

SawitSync tracks each lot’s palm age and recalculates the dose and bag count every round — automatically, as the palms get older.

Get started free

Dosage table: MPOB palm-age-band standard yearly application rates.

How many kg of fertiliser per palm, by age — and how many bags that is