YEN BAI When using biological inputs, the number of worms in the soil increases, the porosity is improved, plants grow well, and many costs are reduced.
YEN BAI When using biological inputs, the number of worms in the soil increases, the porosity is improved, plants grow well, and many costs are reduced.
The grapefruit garden of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Bien's family in Khe But village, Lam Giang commune (Van Yen, Yen Bai) has changed dramatically since applying organic farming techniques. The soil has become loose, the number of earthworms in the soil has increased significantly; productivity and fruit quality have been constantly improved.
Growing grapefruit organically helps Mr. Bien reduce costs and labor, while ensuring his health. Photo: Kien Trung.
Mr. Bien shared that his family's grapefruit garden surrounds the residential area. Previously, the entire area was planted with longan, so a large amount of fertilizer and chemical pesticides were used. After a long time, the health of family members was affected. The nutrients from fertilizer were only enough to nourish the plants, the soil was not supplemented with organic nutrients, so it became increasingly hard. The increased density of pests and diseases caused the yield and quality of lychee to decrease and increased production costs.
In 2019, after learning and accumulating knowledge, Mr. Bien boldly cut down all the longan trees and switched to growing grapefruit. In 2022, he converted to organic farming, replacing chemical fertilizers with composted chicken manure with microorganisms (purchased at farms), and using biological products to repel and prevent pests instead of pesticides.
According to Mr. Bien, during the initial conversion period, his family still had to use a small amount of NPK fertilizer to prevent the plants from going into nutritional shock while waiting for the soil to be improved. When the situation stabilized, he switched to using completely biological inputs.
To limit organic fertilizer from being washed away and seeping deep into the soil, families pack compost into sacks, punch holes, and place them 3-4m away from the base of the tree (ensure 1 sack per tree). In addition, use biological products to repel stink bugs. Some objects such as fruit flies, small spiders, leafminers, etc. use bait traps to control.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Bien, when converting to organic farming, the amount of worms in the soil increases and soil porosity is improved. Photo: Trung Quan.
With this method, the grapefruit garden has now entered a stable stage. With the naked eye, you can see that the amount of earthworms is increasing, the soil is becoming loose, the plants have fewer pests and diseases, and production costs are significantly reduced.
“On average, each year a grapefruit tree only uses up 1 bag of organic fertilizer at a purchase price of 25,000 VND/bag, much lower than using chemical fertilizer (nitrogen alone must be applied at an average amount of 1.5 kg/tree at a price of more than 20,000 VND/kg),” Mr. Bien compared.
According to Mr. Bien, every year his family sells 2,000 - 3,000 grapefruits to the market at a price ranging from 5,000 - 10,000 VND/fruit. After deducting expenses, the family makes a profit of 20 - 30 million VND. Although this amount is not large, the family does not have to spend much time taking care of it, and has time to increase income from other jobs. More importantly, the garden environment becomes cleaner, ensuring the health of family members. Currently, the family is intercropping su trees in the grapefruit garden to increase long-term income.
According to Mr. Bien, to successfully cultivate organically, growers must be persistent. Photo: Trung Quan.
“Organic farming is not difficult, but it requires perseverance to do it, the appearance of the fruit will not be as beautiful as when using chemical materials. The market cannot distinguish between organic and non-organic products, so there is no difference in price, which can easily lead to discouragement for producers…
However, in the long term, as people's economic conditions improve, the demand for quality, safe products will also increase. In addition, if we continue to abuse chemical materials, it will affect the living environment. Therefore, safe, organic production will be an inevitable trend," Mr. Bien commented.
Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/trong-buoi-huong-huu-co-giun-nhieu-dat-khoe-d410343.html
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