Gourd Farm Chapter 90
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 90: Wild Dendrobium
Xia Tian looked at Xia Ying and shrugged, "Sis, I've noticed that you always arrive just in time.Brother Feng and I were discussing pharmacology. What are you thinking?"
"Pharmacology?"
Xia Tian pointed to the dendrobium on the ground. "See this?"
Xia Ying crouched down to take a look, but she didn't recognize it either. Xia Tian didn't seem to be joking.
"Yang Feng, is this really a medicinal herb?"
"Yes, wild dendrobium is not commonly seen now. It's mostly cultivated in greenhouses, or it's artificially grown to mimic the wild variety. However, the price has been consistently rising."
Xia Ying furrowed her brow. "I remember reading a book that mentioned ginseng in the north and dendrobium in the south. It's one of the nine major immortal herbs, right?"
Yang Feng continued, "That's from the 'Dao Zang' during the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty."
The book refers to "iron-clad dendrobium, snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains, ginseng, fleeceflower root, Indian bread, cordyceps, deep mountain lingzhi, pearls from the sea, and caterpillar fungus" as the nine major immortal herbs.
Yang Feng had always been fond of reading books on traditional Chinese medicine. Xia Tian and Xia Ying felt completely out of their depth listening to him.
Finally understanding, Xia Tian was about to pull the dendrobium out.
"Don't move!"
Startled by Yang Feng's sudden shout, Xia Tian jumped.
" Brother Feng, can't you give a warning before speaking? You could give someone a heart attack."
Yang Feng had just had an idea. What if he took this dendrobium back and nurtured it with his gourd water? What if he could successfully cultivate this wild dendrobium?
The potential value was unimaginable. The price of wild dendrobium in the market had already soared to a hundred yuan per gram, and it was highly sought after.
Seeing Xia Tian about to uproot the dendrobium, Yang Feng realized that he needed to stop him before he killed it.
"Brother Feng, is there a special way to uproot this thing?"
Yang Feng rolled his eyes. "It's not as simple as pulling up a radish, you know."
Seeing their curiosity, Yang Feng cleared his throat and explained to them.
"Dendrobium grows in clusters, and the stems are used for medicinal purposes. It is usually harvested before flowering or during the dormant period. For convenience, the best time for harvesting is usually at the end of winter or the beginning of spring."
"The method of harvesting dendrobium is to 'keep two, remove three,' which means to harvest stems that are over three years old and leave those that are less than two years old to continue growing. During this period, it's important to maintain proper watering, fertilization, and management. The following year, the process is repeated, and during harvesting, at least two nodes at the base of the stem must be left for it to grow again. However, I've never done it myself."
Xia Ying listened attentively, while Xia Tian couldn't help but ask, "Brother Feng, how can you tell when it's mature?"
Yang Feng thought for a moment. He had also read about it in a book.
"The leaves on the stems start to wither and turn yellow, and some stems begin to shed leaves in the second winter after dendrobium cultivation. This is the standard for judging maturity."
Looking at the dendrobium in front of him, Xia Tian no longer seemed as reckless as before. He circled around the dendrobium and said, "This thing is indeed good, but the growth cycle is too long."
Xia Tian's observation was accurate, and it was indeed the reason why wild dendrobium was so valuable.
In the current market, greenhouse cultivation allows for harvesting in just one year, and some can yield up to five to six hundred kilograms per acre, but the quality is almost never the same.
Yang Feng carefully dug up the dendrobium, wrapped it in a bag, and thought that perhaps this single dendrobium could bring him wealth in the future.
The group continued to explore the mountain, and it seemed like luck was on their side.
They unexpectedly found three or four rare dendrobiums, which made Yang Feng doubt whether he was dreaming or not.
On their way down the mountain, they came across some mushrooms by the roadside. However, Yang Feng wasn't very familiar with these mushrooms. They looked appealing, but most of them were poisonous.
Xia Ying stopped and seemed to be picking something up from the ground.
"Xia Tian, come over here," she called.
Xia Tian ran over and saw that Xia Ying had picked quite a few mushrooms. He furrowed his brow and said, "Sis, Brother Feng said these are poisonous. Why are you picking them?"
Yang Feng also walked over. "Xia Ying, do you recognize these mushrooms?"
Xia Ying nodded. "These are matsutake mushrooms, and they taste really good."
Xia Tian was still a bit worried. "Sis, maybe we should just leave them. What if they're poisonous? I don't have a girlfriend yet..."
Xia Ying chuckled at Xia Tian's comical expression. "It's better if they're poisonous. It would save me the trouble."
Since Xia Ying recognized the mushrooms, Yang Feng and Xia Tian started picking them into a bag. In no time, they had filled a bag and stopped once they couldn't find any more nearby.
Yang Feng planned to cultivate these mushrooms as well. According to Xia Ying, these mushrooms could sell for one or two hundred yuan per kilogram in the market.
Cultivating these mushrooms would be quite challenging, but with his gourd water, he was confident that he could meet the demanding requirements.
After this trip, they returned with a good harvest. Xia Tian, who had been concerned about the toxicity of the mushrooms, was now contemplating whether to stir-fry or stew them for a delicious meal.
Yang Feng held two dendrobium plants, while Xia Ying and Xia Tian each carried one. Seeing Xia Tian's carefree demeanor, Yang Feng couldn't help but worry. "Take it slow, Xia Tian. Be careful with the dendrobium."
Xia Tian grinned. " Brother Feng, you seem more concerned for this than your girlfriend."
"Get lost, if I succeed in cultivating this, you won't have to worry about finding a wife."
Seeing the two of them joking around, Xia Ying followed behind, laughing heartily.
Yang Feng hadn't expected to find such valuable items while climbing the mountain. It seemed like he would have to come here more often in the future.
The descent was indeed more challenging than the ascent. When they finally reached the foot of the mountain, their legs were trembling uncontrollably.
Breathless, Xia Tian sat down on the ground. " Brother Feng, how come you guys aren't tired at all?"
Yang Feng took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had climbed a mountain, and he knew that his legs wouldn't feel like his own the next morning. At the very least, he would be sore for a week.
After resting for a while, he took the dendrobium to the greenhouse and planted them in a relatively warm spot. Dendrobium prefers warmth and dislikes excessive yin energy, which can hinder its growth.
Feeling excited as he looked at the dendrobium, he clapped the dirt off his hands.
"Xia Tian, leave half of the matsutake mushrooms we picked earlier. I'll check online later to see how to cultivate the spores."
Yang Feng had seen others cultivate mushrooms using corn cobs or sawdust mixed with fermented cow or dried chicken manure. Finally, the cultivated spores were buried in the mixture.
However, he had never done it himself and wasn't sure if he could do it successfully.
Xia Tian walked over. " Brother Feng, I think you're just looking for something to do. Growing vegetables is already good enough."
