凡花木,虽自生成造化之妙,亦存乎人耳。如苦楝树上接梅枝,则花开如墨,名曰墨梅。黄
白二菊,各去其半干而合之,则花开黄白相半。莲萌投净瓮中,经年移种则发花碧色。芙蓉先一
夕,以靛水调,以纸蘸花蕊上,用只裹之,来日开花亦成碧色。
注云∶春分和气尽,接不得;夏至阴气盛,种不得。立春正月中旬,宜接木樨、樱桃、黄蔷薇。正月下旬
宜接桃、梅、杏、李、半枝红、腊梅、梨、枣、栗、柿、杨柳、紫蔷薇。二月上旬可接橙、橘。
以上种接,于十二月间沃以粪穣,至春花果自然结实。立秋后可接林檎、川海棠、寒球、黄海棠。
以上接法,并要按时将头与木身皮对皮,骨对骨,用麻皮扎缚紧紧,上用箬叶宽覆之,如萌出稍
长,即取去箬叶,无有不茂也。
【催花法】凡花,用马粪浸水浇之则速开。
【治花避麝法】凡花果俱忌麝香、衣香、诸香之气,宜栽蒜韭,可以避之。有触香则奄弱,急
用雄黄和艾叶,于上风烧之即解。江南花园中近门处栽避麝草则不犯。
【种果法】凡种果,宜望前上旬日种则多子。果实凡经数次接者,则果大而核小,但其核不
可种。柿树接及三次则全无核。
凡种果,须候肉烂和核种之,否则不类其种。凿果树,纳钟乳粉少许,则果多且美。又树老
以钟乳末泥于根上,揭去皮抹之,复茂盛。
【治果不结实】诸果实茂盛不结实者,元日五更或除夜以斧砍之,即结实。一云∶辰日将斧
砍果树,结子不落。
【治果生虫法】凡百果树生虫,其虫孔用杉木作钉,钉之即绝。又法∶元旦鸡鸣时以火把燃
照果树上下,则不生虫。
【种谷倍生法】用麻姑十分,炭灰二十分,硫黄一分,为末和匀,栽秧时以根蘸点些微入土,成日倍收。
【种菱法】八九月收老黑子撒池中,自生。凡种水果,只以牛粪,大忌桐油,若将桐油瓶罐
投池中,即水果绝死。
All flowers and trees, although their natural generation embodies the wonders of creation, also depend on human cultivation. For instance, if plum branches are grafted onto a Chinaberry tree (Melia azedarach), the flowers will bloom in an ink-like color, named "Ink Plum". If half-dried yellow chrysanthemums and white chrysanthemums are combined through grafting, the resulting flowers will display a mix of yellow and white colors. Lotus sprouts placed in a clean urn and transplanted after a year will bloom with greenish-blue flowers. If Hibiscus mutabilis is treated the evening before by applying indigo water to its stamens using paper wrapping, the flowers will turn greenish-blue the next day.
The annotation states: During the Spring Equinox, when warm qi is exhausted, grafting should not be performed; during the Summer Solstice, when yin qi is abundant, planting should not be done. In mid-to-late February (Lichun period), it is suitable to graft Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans), cherry, and yellow rose. In late February, it is suitable to graft peach, plum, apricot, plum (Prunus salicina), Ban Zhi Hong, winter plum, pear, jujube, chestnut, persimmon, willow, poplar, and purple rose. In early March, orange and tangerine can be grafted. For the above planting and grafting methods, apply manure fertilizer in December, so that flowers and fruits will naturally bear fruit in spring. After the Start of Autumn, Malus asiatica (Chinese crabapple), Sichuan crabapple, Han Qiu, and yellow crabapple can be grafted. The aforementioned grafting methods require aligning the bark of the scion with the bark of the rootstock, and the cambium with the cambium, binding tightly with hemp fiber, and covering broadly with bamboo leaves. If the new shoots grow slightly long, remove the bamboo leaves; they will surely flourish.
[Flower Acceleration Method] For all flowers, watering with water infused with horse manure causes them to bloom rapidly.
[Method to Avoid Musk for Flowers] All flowers and fruits are sensitive to musk, clothing fragrance, and various incense odors. Planting garlic and leeks can repel these odors. If exposed to such scents, the plants may become weak and wilt; burning realgar mixed with mugwort leaves upwind can resolve this issue. Planting "musk-avoiding grass" near the gates of gardens in Jiangnan prevents such interference.
[Fruit Planting Method] When planting fruit trees, sowing in the first ten days of the lunar month yields more seeds. Fruits that have undergone multiple graftings produce larger fruits with smaller pits, but these pits cannot be used for propagation. Persimmon trees grafted three times produce fruits without pits entirely.
When planting fruit trees, one must wait until the flesh rots and plant together with the pit; otherwise, the resulting tree will not resemble the original variety. Drilling holes into fruit trees and inserting a small amount of Stalactite powder (Zhongru) results in abundant and high-quality fruits. Additionally, for aging trees, applying mud mixed with Stalactite powder to the roots, after peeling the outer layer, restores vigorous growth.
[Treatment for Non-Fruiting Trees] For fruit trees that grow lushly but fail to bear fruit, striking the trunk with an axe at dawn on the first day of the New Year or on New Year's Eve induces fruiting. Another method suggests striking the tree with an axe on Chen days (7-9 AM) to prevent fruit drop.
[Treatment for Fruit Tree Pests] For any pest infestation in fruit trees, driving cedar wood nails into the insect holes eliminates the pests. Another method: illuminating the upper and lower parts of the fruit tree with a torch at cockcrow on New Year's Day prevents pest infestation.
[Method for Doubling Grain Yield] Mix 10 parts Magu (a specific material/herb mentioned in text), 20 parts charcoal ash, and 1 part sulfur into a fine powder. Dip rice seedling roots in this mixture before planting in soil to double the harvest.
[Lotus Nut Planting Method] Collect mature black seeds in August or September and scatter them in ponds for natural growth. When planting fruit trees, use only cow manure as fertilizer; tung oil is strictly prohibited. Throwing bottles or jars containing tung oil into the pond will cause all aquatic fruits to die.