Researching potted fruit growing techniques: getting rich is not a dream

Grapes in a greenhouse

In early summer, this writer walked into Wanglukou Village, Rangu Town, Dingtao District, and saw greenery everywhere, with mu after mu of emerald grape vines stretching out, the growing fruit happily plumping itself up. Inside one of the greenhouses, a sun-darkened fruit grower was busy picking ripe tomatoes that had been planted in the gaps between the grape vines, and in no time the several baskets beside him were piled full. "The losses from last winter's heavy snow are being made up for with these ripe tomatoes. The early-ripening ones have already been sold out, and the late-ripening ones are not ripe yet. This is exactly the stage to use to sell them for a good price; once they are sold, the roots can be pulled up to make way for planting grapes." He pointed at the tomatoes that were still steadily ripening and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Struggling in poverty without giving up on getting rich

This middle-aged man is Wang Weizhong: a plaid shirt, jeans, a head of sweat, mud on both feet, carrying a touch of life's weariness, an ordinary fruit grower through and through. That was this writer's first impression of him. He is 51 this year and has been growing grapes for 27 years, with rich experience in cultivation and management. He has an elderly father who needs care, and also a 21-year-old son who is intellectually disabled from birth and a young 6-year-old daughter who need care. To look after the old man and the children, he and his wife have always farmed at home, relying only on growing grapes to supplement the household income. Though only middle-aged, he has already been bent over by the pressure of life.

Although life is not wealthy, Wang Weizhong has never given up on getting rich. He actively takes part in the grape training classes held in the village, learns by watching television, uses modern scientific greenhouse techniques, applies natural fertilizer, and grows two mu of early-ripening, pollution-free grapes, achieving off-season marketing to earn the price difference. The grapes are sweet and tasty, welcomed by the public, and boost sales returns. To adapt to different consumer demands, he also works on enriching his grape varieties. The grapes he grows include Early Ripening No. 1, Horse Teat, ** seedless, Kyoho, Muscat Hamburg, Red Baladi and several other varieties, among which Muscat Hamburg is the most famous. His grapes have won consumers' recognition for their good quality, and the price per kilogram is more than 1 yuan higher than elsewhere. Every year his grapes are still in short supply, and buyers place orders in advance.

Growing potted grapes: earning 80,000 per mu

Wanglukou Village is a well-known grape-growing village far and wide; its grapes are sweet and tart, full-fleshed, and warmly received by everyone. Wang Weizhong believes that to stand out in a grape village, he must develop a new growing method: potted grapes.

Talking about why he thought of cultivating potted grapes, Wang Weizhong said that more and more people are growing grapes now, and the growing area is increasing year by year, so competition is fierce. If potted grapes can open up new sales channels, it would certainly be a good thing for grape growers. "I saw on television that people elsewhere were growing them, so I wanted to try too."

It is understood that last year Wang Weizhong trial-planted 200 pots in total, of which more than 100 pots grew well, and these were quickly reserved by grape buyers, nearby business owners and some friends, at 80 yuan per pot. "They were very interested after seeing them. Nowadays people are particular about freshness when eating fruit. Grapes are not easy to store; after buying them you have to put them in the refrigerator, and when you take them out to eat, the taste is not as good. Potted grapes guarantee that every grape you eat is fresh," Wang Weizhong said.

As for the prospects for potted grapes this year, Wang Weizhong is still very confident. He did the math for this writer: if potted grapes sell well, the returns will be much higher than now. "One mu of land can produce about 1,000 pots. Calculated at 80 yuan per pot, earning 80,000 yuan per mu is no dream at all, while under normal circumstances, earning 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per mu of grapes is already impressive."

Experimenting with new crops: getting rich is no longer a dream

At Wang Weizhong's home, this writer found that he uses the empty courtyard to grow patches of different grape varieties such as Summer Black and Ruby Seedless, as well as strawberries, sugarcane, dragon fruit and other fruits. Wang Weizhong told this writer that this plot is his experimental field for cultivating new fruits, to see whether they are suitable for growing there, and if they taste good, he will expand the growing area.

"In winter I used the greenhouse temperature difference to trial-plant several pots of potted strawberries, and the trial results were not bad," Wang Weizhong said. Next, he will find experts to learn about training methods. Although he has been growing potted fruit for only two years, Wang Weizhong clearly already has a bigger goal. "Consumers' shopping psychology is changing. They not only require agricultural products to be 'tasty,' but also to be 'good-looking.' Producers must adjust their thinking and growing habits. Only by finding new 'selling points' and breaking through the traditional framework can one win by surprise, and getting rich is no longer a dream."