Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 373: Doing multiple things with one stone

The Imperial Medical Bureau had a lot of spare stocks of these common medicinal herb seeds, so after Hua Lei spent the money, he got the mugwort seeds he needed very smoothly.

In the Nanshan area used for growing mugwort, the flower buds have been processed, and all the weeds and bushes have been cleared away, even the roots have been carefully removed.

Then the land is plowed deeply by manpower, and sufficient fertilizer from chickens, ducks and geese is spread to increase its fertility, and then the soil is pounded into granules.

Because of the tight time, Hualei did not have time to grow and transplant the mugwort seeds. Fortunately, mugwort seeds have strong adaptability, so Hualei chose the method of direct seeding.

When sowing mugwort seeds, you cannot broadcast them because the density of broadcasting is too high. So dig small holes at a certain distance between the flower buds, put two to three seeds in each hole, and then cover them with fine soil to bury the seeds.

After planting, you should water it appropriately so that the soil and seeds can absorb moisture. This will help the mugwort seeds germinate faster.

The method of directly sowing seeds is relatively convenient, and with the large number of manpower, after a period of time, all three hillsides of Nanshan had been planted with mugwort seeds and watered.

The growth rate of mugwort seedlings is also relatively fast, but they consume a lot of fertilizer. In addition, the barren mountain is barren, so the buds are given an additional thin layer of fertilizer after the mugwort seedlings emerge.

When the seedlings grow to almost one foot tall, they should be fertilized appropriately to ensure sufficient nutrients, which can promote more vigorous growth of the seedlings.

When applying top dressing, Huabud deliberately chooses to do it on a rainy day so that the fertilizer can be diluted faster and the mugwort can absorb and grow better.

After the mugwort was planted, only the northern slope of the South Mountain was left empty. Because the northern slope was blocked by the West Mountain, it did not receive much sunlight all year round and was not suitable for the growth of mugwort. Therefore, Huabud chose to plant peonies that can adapt to both positive and negative environments.

Peony likes moisture and is afraid of waterlogging, is shade-tolerant and tolerant to barrenness, and has a well-developed root system. It can grow in most environments, and it is most suitable to plant it on a hillside with good drainage.

Peony is a perennial rhizome plant, which is generally divided into two types: one is for viewing and the other is for medicinal use. There is no doubt that the pragmatic Hualei chose to plant medicinal peonies.

Among the medicinal peonies, there are two types: white peony and red peony. The most obvious difference between white peony and red peony is the color of their flowers.

The flowers of white peony are all white and large in size, with a rich and fragrant aroma.

The flowers of red peony are mostly red, and the size of its flowers is relatively small. The fragrance is elegant, fresh and attractive.

Hualei considered and weighed the pros and cons for a few days, and considering its color and function, Hualei decided to plant red peony.

After all, the red peony root’s flowers can be used to dye wool yarn, and its rhizomes can be used as medicine, killing two birds with one stone.

Moreover, in the flower bud's imagination, it seems that a mountain full of bright red peony flowers should be more valuable than a mountain full of white peony flowers.

The entire northern slope was manually plowed about one foot deep, and after removing stones, weeds and grass roots, ditches were dug vertically. The ridges were about half a foot high, half a foot wide, and more than one foot apart.

Then dig a shallow furrow about one finger deep on the bed surface, evenly spread the seeds into the furrow, cover with a layer of fine soil, and then apply fertilizer. After a period of time, the peony will sprout. Then do watering, topdressing, inter-cultivation, weeding, and prevention of diseases and pests according to different seasons.

Of course, in addition to these preliminary things, there are also many follow-up things. It is also necessary to cultivate the soil, irrigate, pick buds and intercrop the red peony.

After planting, because the seedlings are short in the first two years, it is best to spread fermented fertilizer from chickens, ducks and geese on the surface of the bed. This not only increases the fertility but also inhibits the growth of weeds.

Then every winter, you need to clean up the dead branches and leaves of the peony and add soil to prevent the overwintering buds from freezing to death after being exposed to the ground.

In the hot and dry summer, it is also necessary to properly cultivate the soil to resist drought. However, now that it is planted on the north slope with little sunlight, it seems that drought resistance is useless.

When the peony buds appear, it is necessary to remove all the peony buds on a sunny day to facilitate root growth and increase its medicinal value. Of course, the removed buds can be used to dye wool yarn, so there will be no waste at all.

For plants that are to be kept for seed, some of the flower buds can be removed appropriately to make the seeds fuller and fuller. Of course, in addition to being used for seed preservation, these seeds are also one of the best dyes.

In the year of planting peony and the second year, you can also plant corn, soybeans and other crops between the red peony to reduce the summer surface temperature and harvest grain, killing two birds with one stone.

Hualei decided to give it a try, would it work? As long as it could increase production and income, Hualei was willing to give it a try, what if it worked?

Although planting peonies involves a lot more follow-up work than planting mugwort, its multiple effects and functions can still generate a lot of economic benefits, so Hualei still carefully planted the entire northern slope of the mountain with red peonies.

I hope that next year, when the mountains are covered with red peony flowers, I can not only feast my eyes on them, but also dye my wool yarn. After dyeing, I can make money from the rhizomes. Hualei feels happy just thinking about it.

The next thing, Hualei handed it over to the two masters who planted medicinal herbs, and he went to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion to help. Feicui was going to get married on May 28th.

Originally, Feicui was going to get married in the second half of last year. However, I heard that the man’s grandmother passed away unexpectedly. According to the customs of the Dasheng Dynasty, the grandson needed to observe mourning for a year, so the marriage was moved to the first half of this year.

Gu from the third house had already sent a detailed list of ingredients needed for the wedding day, plus a deposit of five thousand taels of silver, to Yuanying Manor in advance.

Hua Lei has also dispatched special personnel to liaise with the kitchen of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion in advance and arranged the delivery of the ingredients needed in the days before and after the wedding.

I also gave Feicui a dowry in advance, and originally thought that on the day of Feicui's wedding, I could just take Xiaoyuan to attend the wedding banquet.

However, ten days before the wedding, Hua Lei received a message from Mrs. Pei, asking her to go a few days earlier to help Gu and arrange Feicui's wedding. Rong Jue's mother, Ruan, caught a cold and was unwell, so she couldn't help.

So she went to the Marquis' Mansion three days in advance. Because Hua Lei had helped Gu and Ruan when Zhenzhu got married before, she was quite familiar with the process.

He and Gu sorted out many related matters, including what to pay attention to when receiving guests at the banquet on the wedding day, arranging the seats for all the guests, and making some arrangements for the staff needed when the groom picked up the bride.

Because Feicui's father, Pei Jingyuan, was stationed in Mobei and was busy with affairs and unable to get away, he was unable to come back to attend his daughter's wedding ceremony.