Chapter 324: Farming is a Science

Chapter 324: Chapter 324: Farming is a Science

Relatively speaking, Xiaqing faced fewer difficulties in this area than the other Lords. This was partly because she had less cultivated land, and partly because she still had fertilizer in stock.

Her inventory included 1,500 pounds of earthworm castings, 500 pounds of crab shell fertilizer, chicken and sheep manure she had fermented herself, wood ash from burning weeds and cooking fires, and fertilizer made from fermented plant stems and leaves. This was enough to plant her wheat and rapeseed.

Additionally, Sun Zhe had said he would ship 200 pounds of earthworm castings to Xiaqing at the end of the month. A few days ago, she had also placed a follow-up order for 2,000 pounds of crab shell fertilizer with Zhong Tao. And just today, she had inquired with Ji Li about purchasing fertilizer from Territory Land No. 7...

Just as Xiaqing was pondering this, she received a call from Zhang San.

"Xiaqing, are you short on fertilizer?"

"Yes." Xiaqing told her idol about Sun Zhe’s earthworm casting production line being destroyed and the subsequent price hike on fertilizer.

Zhang San couldn’t trade fertilizer with her. "All I have here is special-grade Green Light fertilizer for breeding. The price is too high; it wouldn’t be cost-effective for you."

Xiaqing quickly asked, "Brother San, do you have any compost starter powder? The powder from No. 9 Territory is getting too expensive to use."

Zhang San wasn’t familiar with the new situation. "Isn’t it two pounds of a Green Light vegetable for one bag?"

Green Light vegetables or wild greens sold for around 50 points per pound. For the Lords, testing and picking a pound or two within their territories wasn’t difficult, so trading them for the starter powder didn’t feel like a big loss. But now, No. 9 Territory would no longer accept Green Light vegetables for trade. They only wanted points. The price of the starter powder had already jumped from 100 to 150 points, and the last time Qi Fu made a trade, it had risen again to 200 points per bag.

The Lords needed fertilizer to farm, but points were hard to come by for everyone. At this price, never mind the other, less wealthy Lords—even Xiaqing couldn’t afford it.

’I’ve saved up enough for the autumn planting, but I’m still short on fertilizer for the winter greenhouses and next year’s spring sowing.’

Therefore, Xiaqing needed to find a source of high-quality, low-cost starter powder to replace the premium-priced version from No. 9 Territory. As for the cheap starter powder sold in the Safe Zone, she had no idea about its quality and didn’t dare to risk trying it.

’I bet with my idol’s abilities, getting his hands on some starter powder would be child’s play. It all just depends on whether he’s willing.’

As expected, Zhang San didn’t disappoint his fan. "How much do you need? I’ll find some time in the next couple of days and whip some up."

Xiaqing was touched. "Thirty pounds will be more than enough. Brother San, how many points should I give you for it?"

Zhang San replied lazily, "No need. That stuff’s not worth anything."

Look at that! Now *that’s* what you call a top-tier idol! Her devotion to him now ran deep enough to reach the core of Blue Star!

After hanging up, Xiaqing heard everyone in the Lord channel discussing how to incorporate corn stalks back into the soil.

Qi Fu advocated for shredding the stalks and plowing them directly back into the fields. Shi Zhong, on the other hand, argued for fermenting and composting them first. Both methods had been mentioned on the agricultural knowledge broadcast, and each had its own pros and cons.

The planting expert, Li Si, made a timely appearance, ending the debate with a coolly professional voice. "It is recommended to use corn stalks only after they have been fermented and composted. The organic acids produced by incorporating raw stalks directly into the field will accelerate the dissolution and release of elements like calcium and magnesium, leading to soil acidification. The soil in our farmlands is already slightly acidic, and any further increase would be detrimental to plant growth."

Mrs. Zhao seized the opportunity to ask, "Fourth Sister, is it better to have alkaline or acidic soil for growing wheat?"

Li Si replied, "The ideal pH for growing wheat is between 6.1 and 7.5. Yields are highest within this range."

A neutral pH is 7, so the ideal range for wheat is neutral to slightly acidic. Xiaqing immediately noted down this important piece of information.

Mrs. Zhao asked again, "Fourth Sister, how do you test the pH of the soil?"

Li Si replied, "Soil pH varies from one area to another. If you’d like to find out, you can bring a soil sample to me for testing. It’s free of charge."

Xiaqing frowned when she heard Li Si offer to test the soil from Territory No. 4.

Mrs. Zhao had arrived at the territory more recently, so she wasn’t aware of the full situation. When the Lords first arrived, they had all bought pH test strips from Zhong Tao to check their soil’s acidity. Xiaqing knew Zhao Ze had bought some, too.

’Why isn’t he saying anything? Did he forget to test the soil, or did he lose the strips?’

It had to be said, Xiaqing’s intuition was sharp. Over in Territory No. 4, Zhao Ze, who was currently gnawing on a corn pancake, wished he could hide his head under the table.

An oblivious Mrs. Zhao quickly expressed her gratitude. "Wonderful, wonderful. I’ll have Zhao Ze bring a sample over later. It’s our good fortune to be farming next to you, Brother San, and Captain Luo."

Xiaqing then asked, "Fourth Sister, do you know the ideal soil pH range for growing rapeseed?"

None of the books Xiaqing had collected, nor the *Planting Guide* issued by the base, mentioned how to grow rapeseed. The agricultural knowledge broadcast hadn’t covered it either. Seeing her chance, Xiaqing quickly consulted the expert.

Li Si gave a precise answer: "5 to 8."

’That pH range is even wider than wheat’s. I can plant it on any of my plots.’ Xiaqing noted it down carefully.

Hearing Xiaqing’s question about rapeseed, Kuang Qingwei popped up in the chat. "Hey, did you know? You have to add boron fertilizer when you grow rapeseed. If it’s deficient in boron, the plants not only fall over easily, but they’ll also flower without producing any seeds. I managed to get some organic boron fertilizer made from seaweed and brown algae. You just dilute it and use it for irrigation. Two pounds is enough for one acre. Want some?"

Xiaqing didn’t answer right away. Instead, she asked, "Is the soil in our area deficient in boron? Brother Qing, do you know what the required boron level is for soil used to grow rapeseed?"

Xiaqing had already tested her territory’s soil with her Yi Element Detector. ’I remember the soil contains boron, and the level wasn’t low—something like 72 mg/kg. But I can’t just come out and say that.’

’The Yi Element Detector is a high-precision instrument. I can’t let anyone know I have one; it would only bring trouble.’

Kuang Qingwei couldn’t answer Xiaqing’s question precisely, so he turned to Li Si for help.

Li Si answered, "The total boron content measured in No. 9 Territory is 70 mg/kg, but the available boron is only 0.1 mg/kg. To grow rapeseed, radishes, and beets, the available boron content should be above 0.5 mg/kg, which means a boron supplement is necessary. As for the situation in Third Territory, we’d have to run a specific test to know for sure."

Possessing a priceless treasure, Xiaqing had no intention of handing her soil over to Li Si for inspection. "Thank you, Fourth Sister. Our territories aren’t far from each other, so the elemental composition should be similar. Brother Qing, I’ll take two pounds of that boron fertilizer."

Xiaqing placed the order without asking the price. ’No matter how many points it costs, I have to use this fertilizer. Otherwise, all the effort of planting rapeseed will be for nothing.’

’Besides, Kuang Qingwei promised to sell me goods at his cost. If I ask for the price publicly, how is he supposed to answer?’

Two pounds of boron fertilizer wasn’t a large amount for Xiaqing.

In addition to the half-pound of rapeseed seeds she was awarded by the Territory Management Department, Zheng Kui had told her during his last visit that more seeds would be sold at the autumn agricultural trade fair. Xiaqing figured she could buy another half-pound there.

With the germination rate of Yellow Light Seeds being under 50%, one pound of rapeseed seeds wouldn’t even be enough to plant a full acre, so she wouldn’t use up all two pounds of the boron fertilizer.

Xiaqing planned to use the leftover boron fertilizer on her radishes next spring. ’If Li Si hadn’t said anything, I never would have realized that my radishes were growing small because of a boron deficiency.’

’So, boron is divided into ’total’ and ’available’ types. And a lack of available boron causes reduced yields in crops that need it.’

’Farming really is a science.’