Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 361: Choosing a Place to Plant

After hanging around in the Ministry of Industry for a few days, Hua Lei felt that there was nothing for her to do anymore, so she reported to the Ministry of Agriculture for a few days. After completing what she was supposed to do, Hua Lei returned to her own desolate mountain and continued to work like a slave for herself.

Although the waterwheel is not yet completed, the number of open bamboo pipes is increasing every day. Because the pond of Dongshan is at the top of the mountain, there is no need for a waterwheel, only bamboo pipes are needed. So when there are a lot of bamboo pipes, Hualei will arrange people to start arranging the bamboo pipes.

With the pond as the center, Hualei arranged bamboo pipes in eight directions, laying them down in sequence, like a spider web radiating outwards. The more pipes are laid down, the more they are laid.

First, dig a shallow trench that is about the same size as the bamboo tube, with the cut facing upwards. Bury two-thirds of the bamboo tube in the trench, and cover the open part with a straw fan and secure it. This will serve as a mark and prevent debris from falling into the bamboo tube and blocking the water flow.

The pond at the top of Dongshan Mountain has been dug. In addition to the three connected ponds, Hualei also had people dig a circle of ditches on the periphery to connect the deepest pond, which serves as a water tank for the waterwheel. Nanzhu is directly connected to this ditch, so there is no need to install a waterwheel on the top of the mountain.

When irrigation is needed, just open the gap between the deep pond and the ditch, and the ditch will be filled with water, which will then flow directly through the bamboo to all directions. If the water in the deep pond is not enough, open the gap between the deep pond and the middle to replenish the water source in time.

The bamboo water pipes were laid in sections. A few people put the bamboo water pipes into the shallow trench, and then someone else would fill and flatten the soil around the bamboo, fix the bamboo, and only have one opening facing upwards. Then the one-foot-wide grass fans that had been woven were also covered with the bamboo and compacted with soil.

If you need to make a turn, you only need to find a large bamboo tube with two empty ends and roast it over a fire, and then you can bend it. Then you can put the bamboo tubes on both sides to make the turn and deliver water, which is very convenient.

Because there were so many people, the bamboo pipes were laid very quickly. Two weeks later, the East Mountain was covered with spider webs. Although walking was a little inconvenient, irrigation was not a problem.

As long as the gaps in the deep pond and the ditch are properly controlled, the bamboo pipes in all directions will slowly start to go their own way. If the pipes in a certain direction do not need to deliver water, just plug the bamboo pipe mouth with a wooden plug wrapped in cotton.

Because of the continuous rain and snow during the Chinese New Year, the pond on the top of Dongshan Mountain was already filled with water. So after the bamboo water pipes were laid, they could be used for irrigation. When the spider webs were almost done, Hualei personally tested it and prepared to irrigate the cabbage seedlings on the southeast slope.

Let Uncle Fu open the bamboo tube in the southeast direction on the top of the mountain. After a while, the water in the bamboo tube flowed to the cabbage. Because it was a slope, the water flowed very smoothly. Looking at the cabbage that had drunk enough water, Hualei was very satisfied. In another month or two, this batch of cabbage that was left to fate should be ready for harvest.

However, Hualei felt that even if the water source on this barren mountain was sufficient, it was not as convenient as that in Baihua Manor and Yuanying Manor. Therefore, it was necessary to plant some drought-resistant crops on the reclaimed land. So, next, Hualei led a group of people to start planting sweet potatoes on the eastern slope of the mountain.

Because sweet potatoes are drought-resistant, barren-tolerant and sun-loving crops, Hualei chose the eastern slope of the mountain where the sun is most abundant to plant sweet potatoes.

There are still land reclamation workers who turn the land manually, first deep plowing the land, spreading fertilizer, then leveling the land, and digging ditches at a certain distance to ensure that the land required by sweet potatoes is fertile and soft, and can drain water in time.

I also thought that because the barren mountain is relatively barren, it might not be easy to grow sweet potato seedlings directly here, so Hualei started to grow sweet potato seedlings in Baihua Village first.

I chose a warm and sunny piece of land, leveled the soil, pounded it into powder, sprinkled enough fertilizer on it, picked long, insect-free sweet potatoes as seeds, planted them in the ground, covered them with a thin layer of soil, and maintained a certain humidity.

After a period of time, seedlings will grow from the sweet potato tubers. Each sweet potato tuber will grow two or three sweet potato seedlings, and each seedling will have independent roots at its root.

By the time the land on the eastern hillside was almost leveled and the longitudinal ditches had been dug like for planting potatoes, the sweet potato seedlings in Baihua Village already had three or four small leaves and could be transplanted.

Carefully take the sweet potato seedlings out of the nursery and send them to the barren hills for planting. Try to retain the soil at the roots as much as possible to reduce damage to the root system.

If you can transplant the sweet potato seedlings with the soil from the nursery ground, it will be easier for them to survive and reduce losses. After transplanting, compact the surrounding soil.

Then the flower buds open the corresponding bamboo tubes and begin to irrigate the sweet potatoes, allowing them to absorb enough water so that they can quickly adapt to the new environment and resume growth. The subsequent management is somewhat similar to the management of sweet potatoes grown in the field.

But this barren mountain is really too barren and has no fertility at all. Therefore, even though sweet potatoes are considered to be a barren-resistant crop, Hua Bud still had to apply fertilizer several times during the growth period to ensure that the sweet potatoes have sufficient nutrients. Only with sufficient nutrients can the sweet potatoes grow faster and more vigorously.

Fortunately, water can be delivered smoothly on this sloping hillside. Although the water flow through the laid bamboo pipes is not large, the steady flow of water can still ensure that it reaches the destination that needs irrigation.

Therefore, the sweet potatoes are not short of water during their growth. The water delivered by the bamboo water pipes is enough for the growth of sweet potatoes. In this way, the east slope of Dongshan is gradually planted with sweet potatoes that love the sun and are drought-resistant.

While one group of people were planting sweet potatoes, Hualei led another group of people to start planting potatoes on the southern hillside.

Because it is a mountainous area, the light intensity on each slope is different, so on the south slope, Hualei chose to plant potatoes, which are drought-resistant, barren-resistant and more sun-loving than sweet potatoes. The south slope has more sunlight than the east slope, so it is very suitable for potatoes.

Choose potatoes without worm spots, which can increase the yield of potatoes. Cut the potatoes into long strips about the length of an adult's finger. Each strip should have two to three buds.

This can increase the number of potatoes and also control their growth. Store the cut potatoes in a dark and humid place, and after a period of time, they will gradually grow more sprouts.