Chapter 437
Su Miao sat quietly beside the Third Mother, leaning forward slightly, her face full of concentration, listening with fascination.
Her thoughts wandered through the stories of the past that Sanpo had told her. She remembered what Sanpo had said about a relative who had gone overseas, so she asked:
"Third Auntie, have we completely cut off contact with those relatives who went abroad?"
Grandma San sighed softly, a look of regret appeared on her face, and she nodded slowly:
"Yes, we used to be able to keep in touch from time to time. For decades, at least we could still know who was gone and who was still there. But then we gradually stopped hearing from each other.
The last time was in 1982, when a cousin of mine sent me some foreign exchange coupons.
At that time, it was quite rare to receive foreign exchange coupons. You could go to foreign exchange stores to buy high-end goods. Everyone was happy for a long time, but we lost contact after that.
Alas, they are old, and perhaps they are no longer around. Our descendants will not grow up in our hometown, and may not even recognize us. They will have no feelings for us and will not contact us. "
Su Miao also felt very sorry. There were not many of the Third Aunt's family members left, and she was so old. She would probably be very happy if she could see her brothers' descendants.
The next day, Team Leader Su arrived early in the morning and rode his bicycle directly to the orchard. Second Uncle asked Dahei and Dahuang to go back and inform Su Yuanzheng and Su Miao.
At this time, Su Miao was sitting in the yard, chatting and laughing with the Third Mother-in-law.
The flowers and plants in the yard swayed gently in the breeze, as if listening to their conversation.
Dahei and Dahuang ran in hurriedly, barking at Su Miao and looking towards the gate, as if urging her to follow them.
Grandma San smiled and said, "Gouzi is calling you. Team Leader Su must have arrived. Hurry up and call your father to go to the orchard. Don't keep him waiting for too long."
When the father and daughter arrived at the orchard, they saw Team Leader Su squatting in front of a papaya tree with a damaged taproot, shaking his head with a look of regret.
Su Yuanzheng greeted him: "Team Leader Su, long time no see. I'm sorry to have troubled you with the orchard."
"Brother Yuanzheng! Miaomiao! Long time no see. You are back to see Xiaoshu, right?" Team leader Su stood up with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, Miaomiao just finished the college entrance examination. My second brother told me that a lot of trees were blown over, so we came back to take a look."
Team leader Su asked with concern, "Miaomiao, how did you do on the exam? All these years of hard work depend on this one. I hope you can get good results."
Su Miao smiled and said, "I feel pretty good. I'm performing normally. Team Leader Su, how are these young trees being straightened?"
Speaking of the little tree, Team Leader Su sighed:
“Those whose taproots have been damaged will not survive. No matter how strong their vitality is, it cannot withstand such a severe blow.
We need to hurry and cultivate new seedlings to fill the gaps, and not waste energy trying to save them. The others are in better condition, and most should be able to be saved. However, this also depends on how well we care for them going forward."
Su Miao took a closer look and found that the condition of this circle of small trees was even worse than when she just came back yesterday. She knew in her heart that these trees were really beyond saving.
She frowned slightly and said, "Let's ignore the losses that have already occurred, but there will be more typhoons later. Do we have more powerful windbreak measures?"
Team Leader Su nodded and answered seriously, "One of the more commonly used windbreak measures currently is to set up a support structure. We use a batch of wooden sticks to build a tripod or quadripod around the tree trunk, and use ropes to tie the trunk and the support to increase the stability of the trunk.
The next step is to add soil for reinforcement. Pile some soil around the roots of the papaya tree to form a small mound.
This not only increases the stability of the roots, but also blocks the direct impact of wind on the trunk to a certain extent.
Another approach is pruning branches, which is more suitable for the larger trees over there. Pruning off overly long branches will reduce the area of the tree canopy exposed to the wind, thereby reducing the impact of wind on the papaya tree."
Su Yuanzheng listened and asked thoughtfully, "Does the tree need a support frame? I think that although the tree has a well-developed root system, it is still possible for it to be blown down by a strong typhoon."
“Although building support frames is very effective, it is labor-intensive and is generally more suitable for small-scale plantings or small trees.
The several acres of fruit forest here can indeed be built, but I heard that the next typhoon is not far away, so I don’t know if we can make it in time.
"Let's check the weather forecast first. If time is tight, to minimize losses, we should first erect small trees. For larger trees, I suggest tying them with ropes," Team Leader Su explained patiently.
He has been paying close attention to weather changes these days. It seems that another wind group is coming. In his opinion, the sooner protection is taken, the better.
"Tie ropes? Does it mean tying four ropes to each tree and linking them with the trees in the four adjacent directions to form a pulling force to resist the wind?" Su Miao expressed his understanding.
"Right, right, right! Miaomiao, you're so smart! You figured it out right away! This method is easy to use. You can always keep an eye on the weather forecast and then tie it up when there's a typhoon warning.
The larger trees are already stable and have windbreaks installed, so the likelihood of them being blown down is low. The main concern is protecting the smaller trees."
Team leader Su admired Su Miao's intelligence very much. It was really easy to talk to smart people, and he felt like he could understand everything at once.
Su Miao recalled an interview on an agricultural program she had seen in her previous life. Something in her mind struck her, and she said to Team Leader Su, "Is dwarfing the papaya trees also a way to prevent wind?
I remember you mentioned in the dish you showed us earlier that dwarf fruit trees have certain advantages in terms of wind protection."
Team Leader Su nodded and explained in detail: "Yes, this variety of papaya tree has been dwarfed compared to the original variety. The tree height is only half of the native variety. Look at the finished tree now, it is only as tall as you.
Dwarfing has many benefits. Not only does it protect against wind, it also increases yield and makes management easier. It makes pest control, irrigation, and harvesting much easier.
"In that case, can we make it shorter? This way it will be more windproof." Su Miao asked, his eyes full of anticipation.
Team Leader Su laughed and said, "Even shorter? That would require a new variety. Cultivating a dwarf papaya would take the research institute a lot of time. It's not an easy task and requires many batches of testing and research."
"Well, in the short term, we can use the methods you just mentioned for protection. As for the long term... I heard of a method before, but I don't know if it's feasible."
Su Miao wanted to try the method she remembered, but she didn't seem to have seen anyone do it yet.
"Tell me first, and then we can discuss it. Maybe it will work."
Team leader Su said with interest that he was very keen on researching new varieties and new planting techniques, and would naturally not miss such an opportunity.
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