Chapter 438.

Chapter 438.

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.”

“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.”