Chapter 324: Farming Tricks and Soil Secrets

Compared to the other lords, Xia Qing didn’t have as much trouble in this area. For one thing, she had less farmland to manage, and for another, she still had fertilizer stocked up.

Her inventory included 1,500 pounds of earthworm castings, 500 pounds of crab shell fertilizer, plus chicken and sheep manure she’d fermented herself, ash from burnt weeds and cooking, and composted plant stems and leaves. That was more than enough for her to plant wheat and rapeseed.

On top of that, Sun Zhe promised to deliver another 200 pounds of earthworm castings to her by the end of the month. A few days ago, Xia Qing also chased after Zhong Tao for 2,000 more pounds of crab shell fertilizer, and today she reached out to Ji Li about buying fertilizer from Territory Seven…

Just as Xia Qing was thinking about all this, she got a call from Zhang San.

“Xia Qing, are you short on fertilizer?”

“Yes,” Xia Qing answered, then explained to her idol how Sun Zhe’s earthworm casting production line had been destroyed and how fertilizer prices were soaring.

Zhang San couldn’t trade her any fertilizer. “All I’ve got is special Green Lantern fertilizer, meant for breeding. It’s way too expensive and not suitable for what you need.”

Xia Qing quickly asked, “Third Brother, do you have any compost starter? The price for that stuff from Territory Nine keeps going up and I can’t afford it anymore.”

Zhang San didn’t get what was happening. “Wasn’t it two pounds of Green Lantern veggies for a bag?”

Even though Green Lantern vegetables or wild greens would fetch about 50 credits per pound, for the lords it wasn’t hard to test and pick out a pound or two from their territories.

Territory Nine, relying on their “exclusive patent,” kept hiking up the price of their high-efficiency compost starter again and again.

At first, lords just had to trade two pounds of Green Lantern vegetables from their own territory for a bag of starter. Later, Territory Nine didn’t want veggies anymore—they just wanted credits. The price shot from 100 to 150 credits, then last time Qi Fu traded, it had already gone up to 200 credits a bag.

Everyone needed fertilizer for farming, but earning credits wasn’t easy. With prices that high, it wasn’t just the poorer lords who couldn’t handle it—even Xia Qing was struggling.

Farming required ongoing fertilizer input. She’d barely saved up enough for this autumn’s planting, but she’d still come up short for winter greenhouse crops and next spring’s planting.

So now Xia Qing needed to find starter that was good quality but cheaper to replace Territory Nine’s expensive stuff. She wasn’t sure about the quality of the cheap starter sold in the Safe Zone, so she didn’t dare risk it.

She had no doubt her idol could whip up some starter if he wanted. The only question was whether he’d be willing.

Zhang San didn’t let his fan down. “How much do you need? I’ll find time to make some in the next couple of days.”

Xia Qing was deeply moved. “Thirty pounds would be plenty. Third Brother, do you need me to cover any credits?”

Zhang San replied lazily, “No need. That stuff’s not worth much anyway.”

See, that’s what a true idol is! Xia Qing’s level of fan devotion could dig all the way to Blue Star’s core.

After hanging up, Xia Qing heard everyone on the lord channel discussing what to do with corn stalks in the field.

Qi Fu argued for shredding the stalks and returning them straight to the soil, while Shizhong insisted on fermenting them first before returning them. Both methods came from the farming radio show and had their pros and cons.

Agricultural expert Li Si chimed in at just the right moment, ending the debate with a calm, professional tone. “Corn stalks are best composted before use. Direct incorporation will release organic acids into the soil, which speeds up the dissolution and release of calcium and magnesium—this makes the soil more acidic. Ours is already a bit on the acidic side, and more acidity won’t do the crops any favors.”

Zhao Ze’s mother seized the chance to ask, “Sister Si, is acid or alkaline soil better for growing wheat?”

Li Si answered, “The ideal pH for wheat is between 6.1 and 7.5. That’s the range for the best harvests.”

A neutral pH is 7. So wheat prefers soil that’s neutral or just a bit acidic—Xia Qing made a mental note of that crucial bit of knowledge.

Zhao Ze’s mother continued, “Sister Si, how do you test the soil’s pH in each plot?”

Li Si replied, “Soil pH varies even within the same area. If you want to know for sure, just send me a sample and I’ll test it for free.”

When Xia Qing heard Li Si was going to test Section Four’s soil, she frowned slightly.

Zhao Ze’s mother had joined the territory later, so she wasn’t up to speed. Back when they all arrived, everyone bought pH test strips from Zhong Tao to check the soil acidity in their territories. Xia Qing wondered—had Zhao Ze and his mother done it too?

Why was he being so quiet? Had he forgotten to test, or did he lose the strips?

Xia Qing’s intuition rarely failed her. Right then, Zhao Ze was nibbling on a corn cake in Section Four, wishing he could bury his head under the table.

Having no idea, Zhao Ze’s mother quickly thanked Li Si, “Thank you, thank you. I’ll get Zhao Ze to bring you a sample later. It’s our good luck to farm beside you, Third Brother, and Captain Luo.”

Xia Qing pressed on, “Sister Si, do you know the ideal pH range for rapeseed?”

When it came to growing rapeseed, Xia Qing couldn’t find anything in the books she’d collected or the comprehensive planting guide from the Base, and even the farming radio hadn’t mentioned it. So she grabbed the chance to ask an expert.

Li Si gave a clear answer. “Anywhere from 5 to 8.”

That was a much wider range than for wheat. It meant every field in Xia Qing’s territory would be suitable, so she made sure to record it.

Hearing Xia Qing bring up rapeseed, Kuang Qingwei joined the conversation. “Hey, did you know you need to add boron fertilizer for rapeseed? Without enough boron, they can fall over easily or bloom without setting seed. I’ve got organic boron fertilizer made from seaweed and kelp. Add two pounds per acre, just dissolve it in water and you’re good. Want some?”

Xia Qing didn’t say yes right away; instead, she asked, “Is our soil low on boron? Do you know what the minimum boron content should be for rapeseed?”

She’d used her Yi Element Tester to check the soil before and remembered her fields had plenty—about 72 milligrams per kilogram. Still, Xia Qing couldn’t just come out and say that.

After all, the Yi Element Tester was a precision instrument. She couldn’t risk people finding out she owned one.

Kuang Qingwei couldn’t give a definite answer, so he turned to Li Si for advice.

Li Si replied, “Section Nine’s soil tested for a total boron content of 70 milligrams per kilogram, but effective boron was just 0.1 milligrams per kilogram. For rapeseed, radishes, and sugar beets, you need an effective boron content above 0.5 milligrams per kilogram—so adding boron is a must. But Section Three’s situation would need specific testing.”

With a valuable tool in her possession, Xia Qing didn’t want to hand over her soil for testing. “Thanks, Sister Si. Our territories are close, so the soil makeup has to be about the same. Kuang, I’ll take three pounds of boron fertilizer.”

Xia Qing didn’t bother asking the price. No matter how many credits it cost, this fertilizer was essential. Otherwise, her rapeseed crops would be wasted.

Besides, Kuang Qingwei had always promised her everything at cost price. If she asked publicly, how was he supposed to answer?

Two pounds of boron fertilizer wasn’t much for Xia Qing.

Aside from the half-pound of rapeseed she’d gotten as a reward from the Territory Management Department, Zheng Kui had told her during his last visit there’d be rapeseed for sale at the autumn harvest fair, so she’d be able to get another half pound.

With Yellow Lantern seeds sprouting at less than 50%, even a full pound of rapeseed wouldn’t cover an acre, so she wouldn’t use up two pounds of fertilizer.

Any leftover boron fertilizer, Xia Qing planned to use on her spring radishes next year. If Li Si hadn’t mentioned it, she’d never have realized her radishes were stunted because of boron deficiency.

So there was a difference between total boron and effective boron. Turns out, not enough effective boron means crops that need it will have lower yields.

Farming, it really is a science.