Peach growers are worried because the flowers are blooming too early for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Yen Thanh peach blossoms are being pre-ordered by traders.

Minh Thành village, a traditional flower and ornamental plant growing village, is the "capital" of peach blossom trees for sale.TetIn Yen Thanh district, peach trees have been popular in the market for many years. Most families in the craft village have peach orchards. Some families have more than 1,000 trees, while others have nearly 100, including both hybrid Nhat Tan peaches and local pink peaches.

What peopleplanting peach treesThere is concern and worry that many peach trees have already budded and bloomed even though there is still a month until the Lunar New Year. According to locals, the Year of the Rabbit is a leap year (with two lunar February months) and the weather in the last months of the year is warmer than in previous years, making it easier for peach trees to bloom before the Lunar New Year 2024.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue, residing in Hamlet 7, Minh Thanh Commune, who is tending her peach orchard for Tet (Lunar New Year), said her family has over 600 peach trees, aged 1 to 2 years. Based on decades of experience in peach cultivation, in the 11th lunar month, her family focuses on removing all the leaves from the trees so that the peaches will sprout buds in time for Tet. However, in 2023, there was a leap month, so they removed the leaves later. But by the end of the 11th lunar month, some trees had already budded and bloomed. If the weather remains warm and sunny, many peach trees will bloom before Tet.

"Although there's less than a month until Lunar New Year, we've already received deposits for over 100 peach blossom trees, priced at 300,000 - 400,000 VND per tree. For the trees that have been reserved, I tie red plastic string around the base to mark them as purchased," Ms. Hue shared.

Mr. Tran Van Hoan, the owner of the neighboring peach orchard, is also worried about the risk of his peach trees blooming prematurely before Tet. Therefore, at this time, for the peach trees showing signs of budding, he uses a shovel to dig around the base of the trees to restrain the root system and slow down the budding process.

"Experience has shown that in years with leap years and warm weather in the last months of the year, peach blossoms bloom early, causing losses for growers. Therefore, peach growers must know how to handle the situation to prevent the peach blossoms from blooming prematurely. Growing peach blossoms for Tet (Lunar New Year) is not simply about planting; it requires knowing how to care for them and ensure they bloom during Tet, which is quite difficult," shared Mr. Tran Van Hoan.

Mr. Tran Khanh Tung, Chairman of the Minh Thanh Commune People's Committee, said: "The locality has a traditional occupation of growing peach blossoms for Tet. This year, there are more than 25 hectares of peach trees, mainly concentrated in hamlets 7 and 8. Due to the leap year and the less cold winter weather compared to previous years, the peach blossoms have started to bloom as early as the beginning of the twelfth lunar month."peach blossoms for TetHere, about 20% of the peach trees have already bloomed. With many years of experience growing peach trees for Tet (Lunar New Year), growers are now implementing solutions based on experience to prevent the trees from budding too early.

“The tradition of growing peach blossoms for Tet (Lunar New Year) in Minh Thanh commune dates back decades, but it has become popular and widely known in the market since around 2010. In the days leading up to Tet, the area is bustling with people and vehicles from all over coming to buy peach blossoms for the holiday. Therefore, every year during Tet, Minh Thanh's peach blossom growing industry earns around 8 billion VND. This year, many traders have been placing orders since the end of November in the lunar calendar, and some households have already 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 (Lunar New Year) is predicted to decrease compared to last year. According to Mr. Cao Xuan Toan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Kim Thanh commune, because this year has two February months (a leap year), it is likely that 50% of the peach trees will bloom before Tet, making them unsaleable. However, this also presents an opportunity for the price of peach blossoms to increase during Tet. The Kim Thanh peach blossom village currently has more than 29 hectares of peach trees, many of which are meticulously cared for and have high value.

Experiences of people in the outskirts of Vinh City in delaying peach blossoms from blooming.

Not only in Yen Thanh district, but also in other peach-growing areas in the province such as Nam Dan, Vinh City, etc., the peach blossoms for Tet have already started to bloom even though it is only the first day of the twelfth lunar month.

In the peach orchard of Mr. Pham Van Hong in Kim Nghia hamlet, Nghi An commune, Vinh City, there are currently more than 10 peach trees that have bloomed. Mr. Hong shared: "For peach cultivation, weather is the decisive factor in ensuring the flowers bloom at the right time, while the remaining 30% is due to human adjustment through methods and practical experience. According to experience, we often use a knife to make a circular cut around the trunk of the peach tree to limit nutrient absorption by the branches, thus slowing down the flowering process. Besides that, delaying the time of leaf stripping is also a method commonly used by people in Nghi An to prevent the peaches from blooming too early."

Nghi An commune is considered the capital of peach blossom cultivation for Tet (Lunar New Year) in the outskirts of Vinh city. According to statistics, the entire commune currently has more than 300 households growing peach blossoms, concentrated in the hamlets of Kim Nghia, Kim Binh, Kim Chi, and Kim Dong, with Kim Nghia having the most with 200 households.

Mr. Pham Van Cuong, head of Kim Nghia hamlet, said: "The annual peach blossom cultivation has brought a significant income to the villagers, therefore, ensuring the peach blossoms bloom at the right time for Tet (Lunar New Year) is always a top priority. In this last month of the year, the warm, sunny weather is also a reason for the peach blossoms to bloom, so some households proactively build shelters and stretch tarpaulins to block sunlight and reduce temperature so that the peach blossoms bloom at the right time."