Chapter 438. A Father and Some Stupid Horses: A Crash Course on Farming. (3/5)

“You really aren’t going to ask again?”

“What? Did you want me to?”

“No. It’s nona yer business.”

“I already know that. Wait, did you just want me to ask so you could tell me that?”

“Shut up, punk. Anyway, forget that. Earlier yuh said yuh wanted to learn bout farmin or somethin, didn’ yuh?”

“Yeah, I would like to learn.”

“What do you know about farming?”

“Anything I know is just superficial stuff I’ve randomly heard in passing, I’m a complete novice who knows next to nothing.”

“I see. I guess I can give yuh a crash course on some of the basics then.”

“That would be greatly appreciated.”

“What crop are yuh interested in growin?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. How about the ones you’re growing? I saw fields of wheat, carrots, tomatoes, and… one other one on my way here. I couldn’t tell what the last one was.”

“The last one’s soybeans.”

“Oh, so that’s what it was.”

“So which one of those four?”

“Hmm… I guess wheat since it’s the one I’m most used to seeing.”

“Well, the first thing yuh gotta know is how and when to plant your selected crop of choice. If yuh don’t know that, yer gonna have a bad time.”

“When to plant it? You mean like spring after the snow melts?”

“Well, that’s one time yuh can plant it, but the thing is, there’s also winter wheat.”

“Winter wheat?” That’s a thing?” I raised a brow completely clueless. I’d never seen wheat growing in winter where I live.

“Yuh don’t even know about winter wheat?”

“No. Never heard of it or seen it.”

“What hole have yuh been livin in kid?”

“Hell.”

“Hell? What do yuh mean?”

“A place where -30 to -50 degrees Celsius is considered normal weather for winter.”

His eyes opened wide as he mumbled to himself, “Humans live in such a hellhole?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, no wonder yuh never heard of winter wheat. Forget winter wheat then. No crop’s gonna grow in freezin temperatures like that. That isn’t meant for livin creatures, that’s meant for devils.”

“Hahaha… yeah.” It’s funny you say that. I happen to be one of those devils…

“Anyways, back on track. Yuh know the timin, but what yuh really needa understand best is the ideal conditions in that window.”

“You can’t just plant it as soon as spring comes around?”

“No, yuh can’t. The field must be ready to plant the specific crop.”

“How so?”

The moisture in the soil needs to be at the right level. Not too wet, and not too dry.”

“Uh, and how are you supposed to be able to tell that?”

“The rule of thumb is the soil must be 35-45 percent water by weight in order for the seed to imbibe enough water to germinate.”

“If you’re experienced you’ll just know.”

“So… trial and error?”

“Well, yuh can just use a moisture probe. For me, just stickin my finger in the soil I can approximately tell based on how much clings to my finger, the texture when rubbing it between my fingers, and how it reacts when pressing down on top of it.”

“That sounds pretty impressive.”

“Aside from the surface level, yuh still gotta dig up some soil from deeper down to confirm the moisture level down there. Typically the deeper the depth of moist soil the better.”

“Right.”

“But keep in mind, yuh can’t just check one spot and be done. Yuh gotta check multiple spots in the field to get a better idea of the grand scheme of things.”

“However, yuh also gotta be careful, yuh can’t go assuming all your fields are good just because one field is good. Just like how yuh can have different moisture levels in the same field, each field can have its own moisture levels as well, so yuh need to keep a close eye on each field for the right time to plant in it. Another rule of thumb yuh can go by is to sample soil moisture at four or five sites in an eighty-acre area.”

“That sounds... like a lot of work.”

“It can be. However, the moisture in the soil isn’t the only thing yuh gotta consider. The soil also needs to be warm enough or the newly planted seeds won’t grow even with the right amount of water. For planting wheat, you’re looking for your soil to be somewhere in the range of 12 degrees Celsius to around room temperature at about 25 degrees Celsius.”

“I see. Seems easy enough to remember.”

“Knowing doesn’t mean a thing if yuh can’t put it into practice boy.”

“You’re right… Uh… does it matter how deep the seeds are planted?”

“Of course it does. It’s a big deal actually. Wheat seeds should ideally be planted one to one and a half inches deep if the soil moisture is adequate. Yuh can go a bit deeper if soil moisture is deficient. As for goin less than one inch, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Why? Shouldn’t it be easier to grow that way? Or is it because animals or insects will eat the seeds if it’s too shallow?”

“Well, these days we use specially treated seeds with a thin protective coating. It protects it from being eaten and destroyed by insects before it has a chance to grow. The real problem when not planted deep enough is that it can result in reduced and uneven germination and emergence.”

“I see, so the seeds used are coated. I had no idea. If there are issues with planting too close to the surface there are issues with planting too deep as well, right?”

“Yeah, there are. If planted too deep, it delays it from sprouting outta the ground, reducing stand. Emerged plants typically have less vigor and reduced tillering.”

“Huh? Tillering? Stand? What does that mean?”

“Uh, for tillering, just think of it as less yield.”

“Less yield how?”

“Yuh know how a tree grows branches?”

“Yeah.”

“Basically that.”

“I see. And stand?”

“Well just think of it like the trunks of the trees I guess. It’s just the terminology for it.”

“Right.”

“Anyway, just remember each crop has an ideal depth to plant the seed the same as soil moisture and temperature.”

“I’ll definitely remember that.”

“Good. Now that yuh know the planting conditions, yuh need to learn how to protect your crops. Yuh don’t get to just sit back and leisurely watch. You’ve got to keep a constant eye out to ensure they grow up healthy and strong.”

“You mean pesticides?”

“Yeah.”

“Is there a one size fits all pesticide?”

“Of course there isn’t.” He scrunched up his brow irritatedly and displayed a rather annoyed expression when I said that.

“Is something wrong?”

“You’ve gotta use the right pesticide for the right job at the right time. You’ve gotta constantly be on your toes scoutin out your crops from potential problems. Yuh only use just enough of what yuh need when yuh need it. Do yuh get it? Yuh can’t be wasteful like yer probably used to in the city. A cup per acre is about how much yuh’d normally use. It works out to be one of the biggest expenses when farming and the price is nothin to laugh at.”

“Right…”

“Anyway, there are three main things to be on the lookout for, weeds, harmful insects, and disease. Each one of these can be combated with the proper type of pesticide. For weeds use herbicide, for insects use insecticide, and for disease use fungicide.”

“In the case of weeds, yuh don’t use it if yuh see just one or two weeds. Yuh only use it when the weed population reaches a certain level.”

“Herbicides can be broken down into contact and systemic. Contact herbicides kill the part of the plant in contact with the chemical but the roots may survive and the plant may regrow. Systemic herbicides are absorbed and transported through the plant's vascular system, killing the entire plant.”

“Systemic herbicides work best when applied late mornin, midday, and in the afternoon in cool or cold climates. Plant growth slows down at dusk and speeds up again as the sun rises the following day. Heavy early mornin dew can cause herbicides to run off, so it's best to apply them after the mornin dew has evaporated.”

“Herbicides are applied either before or after weeds emerge from the soil and begin to grow. Preemergence herbicides kill weeds shortly after they germinate or emerge through the soil surface. Postemergence herbicides control weeds that are already growing and easily visible. We typically use postemergence herbicides.”

“Another thin to note is there are selective and nonselective herbicides. Different herbicides do different things. Selective herbicides fall into different categories such as growth regulators, photosynthesis inhibitors, pigment inhibitors, seedling growth inhibitors, cell membrane disruptors and organic arsenicals, lipid synthesis inhibitors, amino acid synthesis inhibitors, etc.”

“Uh… that’s... quite a lot to take in.”

“Yeah and that’s not even all to herbicides, there’s so much more.”