Monstera deliciosa and Their Owner - Young Farmer Eason Luo Chun-han's Money-Making Secrets: Why Must Farmers Always Struggle?
According to the Name Act of the Republic of China, a person may change their name three times in their lifetime. Luo Chun-han had already used up all three of his "quota" by the time he was 33. In life, something that changes more frequently than names is switching bosses. The proverb "changing employers twenty-four times a year" describes exactly this kind of person.
From wanting to be an astronaut soaring through the universe to standing firmly on farmland in Pingtung, Eason Luo Chun-han's unrestrained life was finally anchored by Monstera deliciosa, and he at last came to have a taste of "success." "This is the first small achievement of my life. Only after seeing how I've managed and worked this land did my parents finally feel at ease." These sentimental words seem somewhat at odds with his laid-back, carefree appearance.
A Turn with No Reason, Yet Life Was Anchored from Then On
Like many little boys, Eason wanted to be an astronaut since childhood after watching many superhero cartoons. He says he has some cleverness but never liked studying, and the industries he has worked in are "too numerous to list." The reason he changed jobs so frequently was that he refused to be controlled; a fixed schedule suffocated him, and a fixed salary meant no prospects. It was not until he entered the real estate brokerage industry that Eason settled down for a while and earned his first pot of gold.
Before retiring, Eason's father was a manager at a fertilizer factory. Because of his deep knowledge of fertilizer management, he had befriended many farmers throughout his career. He himself also loved tending flowers and plants, and was known as a "civilian tree doctor." After retiring, he and his wife moved to Pingtung. When he learned that a farmer in Changzhi wanted to release the lease on more than two hectares of farmland, he immediately asked Eason whether he would be willing to come to the countryside to farm.
His father's question was abrupt, since Eason had never expressed the slightest desire to become a farmer. Yet Eason actually nodded and agreed, even though he had never carefully thought about where the farmland was or what crops to plant.
"Actually, at the time, even if my dad had found me a shop, I probably would have agreed to take it over," he said. He had previously entertained the idea of being his own boss, but lacked the funds. This time there was capital, and the opportunity happened to come knocking. On top of that, he liked working with his hands, so farming seemed like a good choice. Perhaps because changing jobs had become routine for him, Eason did not need to deliberate carefully or visit a temple to draw lots before changing careers like others do. After a simple assessment, he decided to give it a shot.
The two hectares he rented had originally been a honey pomelo orchard, but because the honey pomelo yield was poor, the original farmer decided to release it. Also, because that farmer was growing Monstera deliciosa elsewhere, Eason inquired a bit and learned that Monstera deliciosa requires shade netting structures, which few farmers are willing to invest in, but the return on investment is actually quite good. So he used the money he had earned in real estate to level the land and build the netting, and from then on he began a new life carrying "Monstera" on his back.
Monstera deliciosa Has Wide Uses; Mother Leaves Produce Side Shoots, Endlessly Renewing
Monstera deliciosa (Monstera deliciosa), also known as Swiss cheese plant, ceriman, Mexican breadfruit, and telephone pole plant, is a plant in the genus Monstera of the Araceae family. Its place of origin is Mexico. Since being introduced to Taiwan, it has been cultivated there for at least a quarter of a century. It is a commonly used leaf material in flower arranging and is also suitable for potted cultivation, indoors or outdoors. Because its leaves stay evergreen and its split leaves with holes are so distinctive, it is popular in both horticulture and floral art circles, and its market price has remained stable.
As if to echo its name, Monstera deliciosa is a long-lived plant. After seeds are raised into seedlings, they can be transplanted to farmland in about two months, and after half a year the cut leaves can be sold. Amazingly, every Monstera deliciosa plant has a mother leaf that will grow side shoots. Once the side shoot completely separates from the mother leaf, the mother leaf becomes a cut-leaf product, while the side shoot hardens from soft, turns from light green to dark green, and then grows into a new mother leaf, which will later produce side shoots again, completing the cycle of life.
In addition, the nodes where side shoots separate will also grow root systems, making the plant even stronger. In other words, after investing once in the cost of seeds, Monstera deliciosa is basically a crop that can be harvested for decades. Moreover, the hotter the climate, the stronger its vitality, so Pingtung is naturally a good place to grow it.
Because Monstera deliciosa produces side shoots from the mother leaf, Eason considers it a "mother" plant. Drawing inspiration from a J. K. Rowling novel, he named his Facebook fan page "Monstera deliciosa and Their Place of Origin." In addition, his own English name Eason sounds like "one three," so he embedded 13 into the English word thirteen to make THIR13EN. This is the tattoo on his left forearm and also the English name of his fan page, Thir13en Farm.
Saving His Own Monstera deliciosa Himself, from Never Liking to Study to Working Hard and Diligently
For someone who never liked studying, Monstera deliciosa changed Eason's personality greatly. At first, although fellow farmers taught him some techniques, once he truly began planting and encountered problems, it was entirely up to Eason to solve them himself. For the sake of these precious crops, he, who had originally disliked reading, began digging into books. What books could not answer, he looked up online. It did not matter that he could not read English; Google would help translate. He even found Mexican websites, and only then learned that Mexico actually uses Spanish.
Eason believes that his encounter with Monstera deliciosa has been blessed every step of the way. Although he was a rookie in agriculture, Monstera deliciosa did not pick on him, and since entering the industry in 2017 things had gone fairly smoothly, with only one planting crisis: rust disease. This is a disease caused by fungi that forms brick-red spots like rust on the leaf surface, affecting appearance, and it is extremely contagious. Once one plant is infected, it can spread into a whole patch in about a week, which worried Eason greatly.
At the time, he asked other senior growers for help, but everyone lacked experience, so Eason had no choice but to beg the internet gods for mercy. After researching experiences from around the world online, he devised his own solution based on pesticides available in Taiwan and sprayed it on the diseased plants. It quickly suppressed the spread of the fungus, saving the farm and also saving himself.
Low Substitutability; Leaf Thickness, Color, and Size Affect Price
Monstera deliciosa is not like many flower materials or leaf materials that are easily substituted. For example, when rose prices are high, balloon flowers or carnations can be used instead; when jasmine leaves become expensive, chrysanthemum leaves can be used as a substitute. However, when flower arranging requires large and graceful leaf material, it seems there is no substitute for Monstera deliciosa. This is also the main reason its price rarely fluctuates greatly and its return on investment is stable.
Eason says that after Monstera deliciosa cut leaves are harvested and sorted, they are delivered daily to five auction markets in Taipei, Taichung, Changhua, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. Conditions such as leaf thickness, color, size, number of splits and holes, and whether their distribution is even all affect price, and different markets also have different demands. Based on his long-term experience, he found that consumers in Taipei and Tainan are more willing to buy high-quality leaf material. He estimates this is because wedding and funeral venues in Taipei are more upscale, and Tainan has more temple worship ceremonies.
In order to grow Monstera deliciosa with rich dark green color and thick leaves, Eason put in a great deal of effort. "The books I've read in my whole life probably don't add up to as many as in these past three years," he says with a smile. At first, Monstera deliciosa was just a commodity to him, but as he observed and explored day after day, Eason discovered that they really do give back, such as growing faster or having healthier leaves, which made him slowly fall in love with this plant that seemed to interact with him.
On top of that, he was already someone who liked working with his hands, so from time to time he would experiment with Monstera deliciosa, such as disrupting the mother leaf's cycle or cutting leaves at different angles, purely to see what would happen. The knowledge accumulated over years in this way gave him an edge over others.
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