How much fertilizer does an oil palm need?
Short answer: a young palm gets small doses every three to four months, adding up to about 2.7 kg of urea, 1.8 kg of phosphate, 4.2 kg of potash and 2.1 kg of kieserite over its first 32 months in the field. A producing palm takes about 5 to 11 kg of fertilizer a year, the most in its middle years, split into two or three rounds.
The figures below are Indonesia’s general standard, set out in the Ministry of Agriculture’s oil palm guideline (Permentan 131/2013) from tables by the Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute, PPKS. They are a starting point. The guideline itself says a mature palm’s dose should be adjusted to the soil and to leaf analysis.
Months 0 to 32: the immature palm
An immature palm, TBM in Indonesian, is fed by the calendar, not by leaf analysis. The guideline’s schedule for mineral soil starts with 500 g of rock phosphate in the planting hole, then a round at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after planting and every four months after that. Doses are in grams per palm per round, and MOP is potash.
| Month | Urea | TSP | MOP | Kieserite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 50 |
| 6 | 200 | 100 | 200 | 100 |
| 9 | 200 | 200 | 350 | 150 |
| 12 | 300 | 200 | 450 | 200 |
| 16 | 300 | 200 | 500 | 250 |
| 20 | 300 | 200 | 600 | 300 |
| 24 | 350 | 200 | 600 | 300 |
| 28 | 400 | 300 | 650 | 350 |
| 32 | 550 | 300 | 700 | 400 |
Potash climbs fastest: from 100 g to 700 g a round. Over the immature stage the schedule adds up to 2,700 g of urea, 1,800 g of TSP, 4,150 g of potash and 2,100 g of kieserite per palm. Peat soil has its own schedule, which uses rock phosphate in place of TSP, adds dolomite, and adds trace elements.
Years 3 to 25: the producing palm
Once a palm bears, around 30 months after planting, the dose is set per year. The Ministry of Agriculture’s Bangka Belitung office gives this standard for mature palms on mineral soil, in kilograms per palm per year, citing the same guideline:
| Age | Urea | SP-36 | MOP | Kieserite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 8 | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| 9 to 13 | 2.50 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 1.50 |
| 14 to 20 | 2.50 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| 21 to 25 | 1.75 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 1.00 |
The dose rises into the palm’s prime, from about 6 kg a year to 8.5 kg at ages 9 to 13, then falls as yields decline towards replanting. PPKS gives higher totals in a 2025 explanation reported by Elaeis Media: about 8.85 kg a year at ages 3 to 4, 11.10 kg at 9 to 15, and 8.83 kg past 20 on mineral soil, and about 9.76, 12.38 and 10 to 11 kg on peat. The two sets differ in products and date. The shape is the same: most feed in the middle years.
When and how to apply it
- Apply in rainfall of 100 to 200 mm a month. Heavier rain washes fertilizer off the surface before the roots take it up.
- Spread it evenly in the weeded circle around the palm, out to 1.5 metres from the base of the trunk.
- Two or three rounds a year. Urea and potash are the ones to split into three, because they dissolve easily and wash out.
- Finish each round within two months, and apply the fertilizers one at a time rather than mixed. The guideline’s order is SP-36, urea, kieserite, then potash.
Fertilizer is the biggest single cost of keeping a plantation: the guideline puts it at about 40 to 50 percent of all maintenance spending. That is why it is the first thing a tight budget cuts, and why a dose wasted in the wrong weather hurts.
Questions people ask
- How much urea does one oil palm need?
- On the standard schedule, 100 g a round at three months, rising to 550 g at 32 months. A mature palm on mineral soil takes 1.75 to 2.5 kg a year depending on age.
- How often should oil palm be fertilized?
- Immature palms every three to four months on the schedule above. Mature palms two or three times a year, timed to moderate rain.
- Can I use a compound NPK fertilizer instead?
- The government schedules are written for single fertilizers. A compound can stand in if it delivers the same nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, so compare its label with the schedule before switching.
- Is the dose the same on peat?
- No. Peat has separate schedules for immature and mature palms, with more potash, dolomite and trace elements. PPKS puts a mature palm on peat at about 10 to 12 kg a year.
In the game
In Sawit Simulator one bag of fertilizer feeds one block, a hectare, and opens a 90-day window: close to the three to four months between rounds on the real schedule. While the window is open, a growing palm grows up to a fifth faster, and a palm in fruit puts on a quarter more bunches. The extra bunches only count if you pick them.
A flood washes the window out at once, the game’s version of heavy rain carrying fertilizer off. A bag costs Rp 1,250,000 before market swings, and a hired worker will keep the growing blocks fed. Feeding every block every season is the habit that quietly empties the account.
Sources
- Ministry of Agriculture, Annex to Permentan No. 131/Permentan/OT.140/12/2013, Pedoman Budidaya Kelapa Sawit yang Baik, 31 December 2013 (immature schedules, Tables 15 and 16; how, when and how often to apply; fertilizer as 40 to 50 percent of upkeep). In Indonesian. https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Download/152995/Lamp.%20Permentan%20Nomor%20131%20Tahun%202013.pdf
- Ministry of Agriculture, BRMP Bangka Belitung, Penerapan Standar Pemupukan Kelapa Sawit, 29 November 2023 (mature palms on mineral soil, by age). In Indonesian. https://babel.brmp.pertanian.go.id/berita/penerapan-standar-pemupukan-kelapa-sawit-elaeis-guineensis-jacq
- Elaeis Media, Begini Cara Pemupukan Sawit TM yang Benar Versi PPKS, 21 August 2025 (PPKS totals per palm per year, mineral and peat). In Indonesian. https://www.elaeis.co/berita/baca/begini-cara-pemupukan-sawit-tm-yang-benar-versi-ppks