Dashan Orchard 1988

Chapter 138 Early Peach and Late Peach

The largest mountain range near Ziwuling, there are dozens of nurseries of various sizes surrounding Ziwuling.

Qingquan Town is considered the lowest level.

It covers an area of ​​less than fifty acres and has not many staff members.

This is where Mitama does odd jobs.

In front of the nursery is a road six to seven meters wide, which is a good width on a country road and can allow vehicles to pass in both directions.

There are two rows of poplar trees on both sides of the road. They look like they have growth rings that are at least 20 years old, and each of them is as thick as an adult's body.

Under the tree, there were many vendors selling saplings and grafting tools.

It's a bit like the supermarkets selling vegetables in later generations and the retail vegetable farmers outside.

The quality inside is good and the variety is complete, but it’s expensive.

Although the quality of the ones outside is not that good, they are cheap and if you are lucky, you can even pick them up.

If you just buy a few saplings to plant, you will definitely not be ignored when you go to the nursery.

You can sell it directly outside.

There are two places selling seedlings in Qingquan Town. There are relatively more people here, and the other one is in the alley where I saw Mi Dama last time.

There is an old place for selling seedlings, but the nursery here was built and is a new place.

In addition to selling seedlings, there are also many tools used for grafting and cutting saplings, such as cutters, saws, sealing nutrient glue, etc.

Li Muyang wanted more seedlings, so he went directly to the nursery without looking outside.

As for tools, if you buy too many seedlings, not only will they be given as gifts, but the nursery will also send someone to the site to guide the grafting operation.

After all, such large households are important profit targets for nurseries.

In the early years, the staff in the nursery were all public institutions and belonged to the units under the Forestry Bureau, similar to those in forest farms.

But after some restructuring later, it was basically stripped out and became half-public and half-private.

Some management personnel still retain their professional establishment, but no new personnel will be added later, and a contract-based employment model will be adopted.

Then, temporary staff with even worse treatment appeared, like those in Midama.

It is worth mentioning that Wang Tianxiao originally worked as a forest ranger in a forest farm. Later, he injured his leg and was put into a nursery. He was actually a career employee.

But because his legs were almost third-level disabled, he chose to take sick leave.

It's still okay if you don't pay.

Li Muyang pushed the cart to the concierge. After registering, he followed the concierge's instructions and found the nursery staff.

His surname is Wang. He is a dark, fat, short, middle-aged man.

Not many hairs have fallen out, but my eyebrows are very thick and dark, almost connected together at the center of my eyebrows.

His eyes are like those of Zhang Fei and Li Kui, and he has rosacea. When he looks at this person suddenly, he is a bit scary.

The man looked Li Muyang over and said angrily, "What seedlings do you want?"

"Peach tree..." Li Muyang pointed to the bicycle in his hand, "Master Wang, can I park my car next to it?"

"Just leave it alone. Couldn't someone steal it?"

Master Wang said, turned around and walked forward.

Li Muyang was just about to lift up the car support and put it here temporarily, but when he saw what was behind the car, he felt uneasy.

It's an area of ​​fifty or sixty acres, and there aren't many people there, maybe a hundred or so. It's inevitable that there will be some people with unclean hands and feet in there.

Still don't take that risk.

So he pushed the cart and followed Master Wang.

Hearing the sound of the bicycle, Master Wang turned around and looked again, pointing to a carport not far away, "Just put it under that. No one will take your things, so I'll worry you."

Everyone has said this, and if Li Muyang still pushes it, it really won’t make sense.

He had no choice but to push the car over and lock it under the carport.

Patting the snakeskin bag on the car seat, he jogged to follow.

"Master Wang, do we have any late peach seedlings here?"

"Wan Tao, how late will it be?"

Master Wang answered casually.

He is probably only a little over 1.5 meters tall. Such a short man is really rare in the northwest.

When Li Muyang spoke to him, he deliberately bowed his body, otherwise he seemed a bit bossy.

It's like talking to someone with your chin.

But this is very tiring.

The main reason is that Master Wang doesn't know why, but he looks like he doesn't care much and doesn't want to pay attention to him.

Li Muyang had to keep a low profile even more.

"It's not particularly late. It blooms probably in June. It's after August [-]th in the lunar calendar. It's best to mature in September."

"Have."

Master Wang answered in the affirmative.

"That's a good feeling."

Li Muyang was still worried.

According to his previous knowledge, there are not many varieties of this kind of late peach.

Maybe it is more likely to exist in the south, but in the north...especially in the northwest, due to the climate, it is unlikely to exist. Even if it does exist, the varieties are estimated to be very few.

"As long as you want it, you can have it," Master Wang stopped and turned into the side path, "but the survival rate of this kind of peach is low, so it is not easy to raise. You have to be patient and careful."

Li Muyang had already taken a few steps, but hurriedly followed him back.

The two came to a cultivation area that was open on both sides, 50 to [-] meters long and [-] to [-] meters wide.

Inside are seedlings that have been cut all over the ground.

It's about one meter tall, green and lush.

"Hey, this is it. On September [-]th, the latest variety here, you can eat the first fruit on August [-]th. The taste is okay, but a bit hard. After September, when it is fully mature, it will be ready for the next season."

Li Muyang came closer, squatted down, and carefully observed several seedlings.

I found that the buds of this seedling were very small and seemed not very obvious.

Only then did I understand what Master Wang said, why the survival rate is not high.

Grafting trees requires buds. If the buds are not obvious, it means that their vitality is not strong enough, and the possibility of grafting failure is much greater.

Moreover, it is too hot in June, making it difficult for grafting to survive. In July, the temperature difference between day and night becomes large again, making it more difficult for the young seedlings to integrate with the rootstock.

With layers of blessing, the survival rate of the buds will be reduced to a very low level.

Generally speaking, the maximum death rate that fruit farmers can bear for grafting is [-]%. If it reaches [-]%, it will be a loss.

In order to improve the success rate of grafting, people often graft more points on the same rootstock. If all of them survive, they can then prune off the excess.

If you feel that this is not safe, you can even adopt a variety of grafting methods, such as "T" type, inverted "T" type, casing, rectangle, "I" type, etc., try the most suitable grafting mode.

In short, grafting trees is a technical job.

It seems very simple, just stick the buds on the rootstock and wrap them up.

But in fact there are many ways.

"Master Wang, the success rate of this seedling you said is not high, what is its approximate rate?"

"Half and half. It depends on your grafting skills. No matter how good the seedlings are, it won't be enough if your skills are poor."

Master Wang said calmly.

"What if it's a skilled master like you?"

"For me, it's about [-]% to [-]%." "That's not bad," Li Muyang thought it was okay. He could accept [-]% to [-]%.

Anyway, the contracted land is quite large. If there are [-] trees, if [-] can survive in the first year, it will be enough.

The rest will be married next spring.

Master Wang glanced at him, half-smiling but not smiling, "Did you hear clearly?"

"what?"

"I'm talking about me. I was the one who cultivated this seedling. Do you understand what I mean?"

Li Muyang nodded quickly, "I know, the seedlings you cultivate must know the performance well. We who are just starting to try grafting must be far behind you."

Master Wang glanced at Li Muyang, his expression slightly relaxed.

Li Muyang thought of something and hurriedly took out a cigarette from his pocket, but was stopped by Master Wang.

"It's a nursery area, so you can't smoke."

Li Muyang stuffed the cigarette into Master Wang's pocket, "I know, you can keep it when you go out to smoke."

While the two were talking, Master Wang's eyes also glanced at the cigarette box. He knew that a pack of Hongtashan cost six or seven yuan. It was a good smoke.

I also somewhat approve of Li Muyang's success.

"However, it is difficult to say. In fact, as long as you use more energy, the survival rate will not be particularly bad. If it doesn't work, you can just take them all with both ends, and the failure rate will be even lower."

Li Muyang nodded.

"Okay, if I don't understand anything about grafting in the later stage, I will ask Master Wang for more guidance. I will not let your guidance go to waste and waste your time."

Master Wang knew what Li Muyang meant, and his expression became more relaxed.

"Master Wang, I wonder how much one of these seedlings costs?"

"It depends on how much you need. In principle, the more you want, the cheaper it will be. If you want very little, the nursery won't sell it to you."

Li Muyang nodded, "I have about three hundred rootstocks, and the trees are about five or six years old."

"What's the stock?"

"It's also a peach tree, but it's fresh in May."

"Haapeach..."

Master Wang did not comment.

A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Li Muyang knew what he meant.

In the eyes of people who specialize in cultivating tree species, May Fresh is actually an imperfect tree species.

In other words, the tree species in question.

It has several fatal problems.

The fruit bearing rate is low and the growing conditions are harsh. It is even said that it is not suitable for the soil conditions near Longdong.

This can be seen from the fact that the peach trees in Momoyama are in a hurry and do not bear fruit.

In addition, there is another problem with May Fresh. This peach actually doesn’t taste good.

In fact, anyone who often cultivates fruits knows that most fruits do not taste the best for breakfast.

The main reason is that it takes a cycle for fruit to mature. The shorter the cycle, the worse the texture of the fruit.

It was stiff at first, and the teeth were not in good condition, so they could not bite.

But within a few days, it became soft again, and it tasted like it had been soaked in water for a while, and it no longer tasted good.

Because of this special growth cycle, this kind of peach is destined to be difficult to transport and sell.

If picked too early from the tree, peaches will taste too sour.

If it is too late, it will rot on the tree.

Transportation is also very troublesome.

It is basically impossible to transport it over long distances.

Therefore, this kind of early peach variety that is fresh in May is rarely planted later, and the earliest peaches are also moved from May to June.

Contempt chains are indeed everywhere.

Professional gardeners look down upon incomplete varieties.

"Master Wang, what's the price~?"

"How much do you want?"

"Three hundred trees, each tree is calculated according to twenty points, it needs... needs..."

"Oh, it takes six to seven thousand points."

"Six to seven thousand...six to seven thousand dots, then you need about five to six hundred seedlings. The exact number depends on your grafting skills. If your skills are too inferior, even doubling it will not be enough for you."

"That's true," Li Muyang said with a smile, "My skills are definitely not as good as yours, Master Wang, but I'm still passable and can make do."

"Then order 500 plants first. If you don't have enough, come back later. The seedlings are here anyway. But if you really order, I suggest you get the goods in batches. If you put this thing in my cultivation field, it will grow better. If you take it back in one go, if you can't finish it quickly, the buds will wither and the survival rate will drop a lot."

"I think so."

Li Muyang nodded.

Even if he ordered it, he really couldn't take it back all at once.

There are dozens of buds on each sapling, but not every bud can be used.

Some of the seeds are too tender and store less nutrients. It is difficult to integrate with the rootstock, and the graft is more likely to die.

The opposite is true for the buds near the roots. Because the buds are too old and are too deeply connected to the original plant, just like an old tree with large roots, it is difficult to transplant.

It takes a very experienced person to find the most suitable buds.

The task of grafting itself is very simple, a simple action that even children can do.

It is nothing more than peeling off part of the bark of the rootstock, grafting the buds to be grafted, sealing them tightly with plastic paper or tape, and waiting for fusion.

But there is a trick to choosing different buds.

Just like many people can grow watermelons, but they don't know how to choose between raw and ripe ones. This is the same truth.

"As for the price, you have to negotiate with the above for details, but I can give you a rough estimate in advance. One plant costs about [-] cents."

"Two cents."

Li Muyang quickly ran through it in his mind. One plant costs two cents, so 500 plants cost 100 yuan. It seems okay and not very expensive.

Last time Mi Dama sold it a little more expensive.

However, different tree species have different levels of difficulty in cultivating, so the prices cannot be exactly the same.

"What's the matter, should I take you to the office now?"

Master Wang asked.

Li Muyang pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "I'm going to take a look at the saplings today and learn about the price. I estimate that I won't start getting the saplings until the beginning of next month."

"At the beginning of next month...I suggest you wait."

Master Wang thought for a while and said, "It's still a bit hot in July this year. The temperature is too high, and the grafted buds will easily die due to lack of water. I personally think it is most appropriate to wait until the end of July or the beginning of August to start. You can consider the details yourself." .”

Li Muyang smiled and nodded.

Hongta Mountain was not given in vain, Master Wang had already thought about him.

You are right.

"That's okay, just wait until early August."

"Don't be impatient. There is no need to rush when nurturing fruit trees. Just like people, they need a growth cycle.

There is nothing you can do if you are impatient. Until then, you just can't do anything. If you insist on doing things against the solar terms, it will only be in vain. "

(End of this chapter)