Peach growers worried about early blooming

Yen Thanh peach blossoms are ordered early by traders

Minh Thanh flower and ornamental plant growing village is the "capital" of peach blossoms.TetPeach trees in Yen Thanh district have been popular in the market for many years. Most families in the craft village have peach gardens. Many have more than 1,000 trees, while the few have nearly 100 trees, including Nhat Tan hybrid peach trees and local peach trees.

What peoplepeach plantationPeople are wondering and worried that many peach trees have already budded and bloomed even though there is still 1 month until Tet. According to people, the year of Quy Mao is a leap year (with 2 lunar months) and the weather in the last months of the year is warmer than previous years, making it easy for peach trees to bloom before Tet 2024.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue in Hamlet 7, Minh Thanh Commune, who is taking care of the Tet peach garden, said that her family has more than 600 peach trees from 1 to 2 years old. Based on decades of experience growing peach trees, in the 11th lunar month, the family focuses on removing all the leaves on the trees so that the peach trees can bud and bloom in time for Tet. However, in 2023, there is a leap month, so the leaf removal is later. But by the end of the 11th lunar month, some trees have budded and bloomed. If the weather is warm and sunny, the situation of peach trees blooming before Tet will be more common.

“Although Tet is less than a month away, there have been customers who have come to deposit more than 100 trees, at a price of 300,000 - 400,000 VND/tree. I use red plastic rope to tie the peach trees that have been deposited to the roots to mark that they have been purchased,” Ms. Hue shared.

Mr. Tran Van Hoan, the owner of the peach garden next door, is also worried that the peach garden may bloom before Tet. Therefore, at this time, for peach trees that are budding, he uses a shovel to dig around the base of the tree to block the roots to slow down the budding.

“Experience has shown that in years with leap years and warm weather in the last months of the year, peach blossoms bloom early, causing growers to lose their harvest. Therefore, peach growers must know how to handle the situation and prevent peach blossoms from blooming early. Therefore, the job of growing peach trees for Tet is not just about planting them, but also knowing how to care for them and making them bloom for Tet is difficult,” said Mr. Tran Van Hoan.

Mr. Tran Khanh Tung - Chairman of Minh Thanh Commune People's Committee said: The locality has a traditional profession of growing peach blossoms for Tet. This year there are more than 25 hectares of peach blossoms, mainly concentrated in hamlets 7 and 8. Because this year is a leap year and the winter weather is less cold than previous years, so at the beginning of Decemberpeach blossoms for TetHere, about 20% of peach trees have blossomed. With many years of experience growing peach trees for Tet, peach growers are now implementing empirical solutions to prevent peach trees from budding early.

“The peach blossom growing business in Minh Thanh commune has existed for decades, but has been popular and well-known in the market since around 2010. On the days before Tet, the locality is bustling with people and vehicles from all over coming to buy peach blossoms to celebrate Tet. Therefore, every year during Tet, Minh Thanh’s peach blossom growing business earns around 8 billion VND. This year, many traders have come to place orders since the end of the 11th lunar month, and some households have sold 100 million VND worth of peach blossoms,” said Mr. Tran Khanh Tung.

Kim Thanh peach blossoms have long been popular in the market. However, this year the amount of peach blossoms sold during Tet is expected to be lower than last year. According to Mr. Cao Xuan Toan - Chairman of Kim Thanh Commune People's Committee, because this year has a leap year, 50% of the peach blossoms will likely bloom before Tet, so they cannot be sold. However, this is also an opportunity for the price of peach blossoms to increase. Kim Thanh peach blossom craft village currently has more than 29 hectares of peach blossoms, many of which are meticulously cared for and have high value.

Experience of slowing down peach blossoms of people in Vinh suburbs

Not only in Yen Thanh district but also in other peach growing localities in the province such as Nam Dan, Vinh city... Tet peach trees have also begun to bloom even though it is only the first day of December.

At Mr. Pham Van Hong's peach garden in Kim Nghia hamlet, Nghi An commune, Vinh city, there are currently more than 10 peach trees blooming. Mr. Hong shared: For peach growing, the weather factor is decisive for timely flowering, the remaining 30% is adjusted by humans through methods and practical experience. Based on experience, we often use a knife to cut a circle around the peach tree trunk, to limit the absorption of nutrients into the branches, to reduce the flowering process. In addition, delaying the time of leaf stripping is also a method that Nghi An people often use to prevent peach blossoms from blooming early.

Nghi An commune is considered the capital of peach blossoms for Tet in the suburbs of Vinh. According to statistics, the whole commune currently has more than 300 households growing peach blossoms, concentrated in the hamlets of Kim Nghia, Kim Binh, Kim Chi, Kim Dong, of which Kim Nghia has the most with 200 households.

Mr. Pham Van Cuong - head of Kim Nghia hamlet said: Peach growing has brought a significant income to the villagers every year, so taking care of peach blossoms to bloom on time for Tet is always a top priority. In the last month of the year, the warm and sunny weather is also the reason why peach blossoms bloom, so some households have also proactively built roofs and stretched canvas to avoid sunlight and reduce the temperature so that peach blossoms bloom on time./.