How do you grow water spinach on the water surface? A detailed guide to water-surface growing techniques
Patch after patch of lush green vegetables growing not in a vegetable plot but on the surface of a fish pond, with pretty young men and women from the city poling bamboo rafts and weaving through the floating vegetable garden to pick them... This poetic scene is not a legend, but something that happened at the Baqu River water-surface vegetable base in Wushan Town, Wangcheng District, Changsha, Hunan. "This year in May...
Patch after patch of lush green vegetables growing not in a vegetable plot but on the surface of a fish pond, with pretty young men and women from the city poling bamboo rafts and weaving through the floating vegetable garden to pick them... This poetic scene is not a legend, but something that happened at the Baqu River water-surface vegetable base in Wushan Town, Wangcheng District, Changsha, Hunan. "This year in May, the specialized equipment I developed for growing vegetables on water received a patent from the National Intellectual Property Administration," said Fu Zhenjian, 45, excitedly.
Fu Zhenjian is a farmer in Wushan Town. A few years ago, he contracted a fish pond of more than 20 mu, but because the water flowing into the pond was too nutrient-rich, the pond water turned black and foul, and nearby villagers complained bitterly about it. Fu Zhenjian thought that it would be good if there were a way to purify the pond water.
Early last year, Fu Zhenjian had a sudden idea: why not grow vegetables in the fish pond that need to absorb large amounts of water, in order to purify the water quality? Using plastic materials, foam and other floating boards, he designed 100 sets of specialized water-surface vegetable-growing equipment composed of floating boards, floating rods, floating nets and the like, and asked local farmers to arrange and plant seedlings in the fish pond of more than 20 mu, starting water-surface vegetable cultivation.
What no one expected was that by June of that year, the water spinach, baby cabbage and other vegetables Fu Zhenjian had planted on the surface of the fish pond grew with thick stems and green leaves, and yielded a bumper harvest. Fu Zhenjian explained that the roots of water-grown vegetables such as water spinach grow in the water and can absorb nutrients from the water, with no need for artificial fertilization, and no need for weeding, watering or spraying pesticides. "Now the water in the fish pond has become clear and no longer stinks, and the villagers no longer come to me with complaints," Fu Zhenjian said.
"Can people eat vegetables grown in dirty, foul water?" Faced with this question, Fu Zhenjian brought out the inspection report for his water-grown vegetables. This inspection report, issued by the agriculture department, showed that all indicators met food safety standards. Fu Zhenjian said: "Some of my water-grown vegetables are used to feed pigs, which not only saves on feed costs, but after the pigs eat the water-grown vegetables and are slaughtered for market, the meat is tender and the broth is savory."