Rice Cultivation
July 19th, 2002 Photo Update
Rice Cultivation
July 19th, 2002 Photo Update
I was working in Europe when Kathy photographed and e-mail these updates. The weather back in Ohio has been very hot and there has been almost no rain. Both, the paddy and the garden rice is doing very well. The paddy rice is almost to the point where the seed heads will form.
June 4, 2002 |
June 19, 2002 |
Be there no doubt. The "poor little tykes" are now beautiful green shoots that are beginning to develop seed heads. I am amazed by their size, considering how closely planted they are.
I repeat, rice is a grass and a very hardy grass, at that! I took it to its limits through germination in the restricted environs of a house. The unseasonably cold weather forced the rice from being planted until the last possible moment and, still, it came back! Now, they thrive through the blistering summer heatwave, with absolutely no care from me. I am on another continent.
Kathy has been very generous by making sure that the rice has sufficient water and that the garden planted rice is kept free of competing plants. Thanks!
The smaller, white container is the mini-mini paddy that was planted in early Spring. It has already began to form seed heads.
The direct planted (non-paddy) rice is quite large and will also produce a fine yield, come autumn. Kathy says it is a week or two behind the paddy grown rice, in size and development. Also, the stems are thinner and there are less stems per plant. In this part of the world, where there are no rice paddies (yet!) the soil planted rice would certainly be the choice for large scale farming. But, there is one serious drawback. Water!
In 2002, Ohio has experienced near drought conditions. If it doesn't rain soon, the drought will be official. And this is not so unusual. We have a summer like this, every 5 years or so, and no local farms have the capacity for sufficent irrigation. As of now, I can see only two solutions for farming local rice on a large scale. You could create a paddy in a river or stream valley. Or, you could produce enough to see you through the dry years.
More paddy pictures below, courtesy of Kathy Weber.
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