Nghe An farmers actively 'revive' fruit trees after Tet

This year, Ms. Ngoc Huong's family in Khe Tray village, Thanh Duc commune (Thanh Chuong) sold 20 tons of oranges to the market. This year, although the productivity and output have decreased sharply, only half of last year's, the high selling price of 60,000 VND/kg has helped the gardeners earn a good income. "6 hectares of oranges produce about 30 tons of fruit, of which about 10 tons are sold before Tet, and 20 tons are sold during Tet. Oranges sold during Tet are more expensive and easier to consume," said Ms. Huong.

The entire orange acreage of Ngoc Huong farm is cultivated using organic methods and will be certified organic in 2023. Therefore, caring for oranges after harvest is more laborious and time-consuming than conventional farming methods.

Ms. Huong said: “To fertilize the orange trees, we have prepared dozens of tons of composted manure in advance. After the oranges “turn off” their flowers (fall off), we use green fungus biological products to spray to prevent fruit-eating insects and antifungal biological products to prevent diseases. Currently, the garden has fermented ripe bananas into products and will water the trees in early April to increase the source of potassium; using corn stalks to cover the base of the trees helps retain moisture and increase the amount of organic fertilizer for the trees.”

Taking care of it this way is more laborious, requiring the hiring of up to 10 seasonal workers and the investment cost is also quite expensive. However, thanks to being fertilized with organic fertilizers, the soil becomes increasingly loose, the plants are healthy and productive, the oranges are also larger, shiny yellow, more fragrant and sweet, and are favored by the market. In particular, the fruit does not fall or rot due to the influence of the weather.

These days, on the hills of Thanh Duc and Thanh Huong communes - the key orange growing areas in Thanh Chuong district, farmers are taking care of their oranges. Pruning and fertilizing are the two main issues in the process of making orange trees flower. Pruning helps farmers proactively choose which branches will bear fruit and which branches will create new branches for the next crop.

Taking care of orange trees after Tet is also hard work and requires no less technique than the stage of handling fruit trees. Therefore, in addition to experience, gardeners have learned more techniques from many places to help the garden grow best.

“Caring for the trees after harvest will determine the yield and quality of the next crop of oranges. Therefore, the family is focusing on human resources and implementing care measures. The work of caring for the orange trees will last until the end of February, when the orange trees begin to bloom, we will stop caring for the roots, instead we will monitor the trees to promptly prevent pests and diseases,” said Mr. Tran Dien Vi - owner of an orange farm in Suong hamlet, Thanh Duc commune.

Owning a mixed fruit farm: guava, grapefruit, dragon fruit, during the last Tet holiday, Mrs. Tran Thi Hanh's family in Quynh Tam commune, Quynh Luu district had an income of hundreds of millions of dong. Of which, Dien grapefruit and guava are the two main types serving the Tet market.

“Dien grapefruit is harvested in the 11th lunar month. However, to have grapefruit to sell during Tet, gardeners must apply technical care to “hold” the fruit longer, and the grapefruit trees will also weaken. Therefore, care must be carried out immediately after the Tet harvest,” said Ms. Hanh. In addition to 3 regular workers, Ms. Hanh has to hire 5 seasonal workers to clean the garden and take care of the fruit farm after Tet.

Currently, the apple acreage in Nam Dan district is entering the final stage of harvesting the last crop of fruit, and carrying out tree felling. Mr. Tran Van Danh - owner of an apple farm in Thuong Tan Loc commune (Nam Dan) planted 300 apple trees. After harvesting the last crop of apples on the 15th day of the first lunar month, he is currently pruning the apple trees.

“This year, apples were sold for 23,000 - 25,000 VND/kg during Tet, this year's apple crop, my family earned tens of millions of VND. After the spring rains, the weather cleared up, we cut down all the main trunks, cut them low to the base of the apple trees, sprinkled lime to improve the soil pH and prevent fungal diseases in the garden. After 30 - 35 days of cutting, we added composted manure to promote the sprouting process of the apples. At the same time, we planted legume crops such as soybeans, green beans... to improve the soil and limit weeds.”

According to preliminary statistics, the area of ​​fruit trees in Nghe An is about 20,000 hectares, mainly concentrated in low mountainous districts with long-term planning such as Nghia Dan, Tan Ky, Anh Son, Thanh Chuong, Quy Hop, with main varieties such as pineapple, orange, banana, guava, apple.

According to the recommendations of the professional agency, after the fruiting period, the tree is often weakened and needs to be properly cared for so that the tree can recover quickly and prepare for the next crop to achieve good results. In addition to grasping and applying the right knowledge and techniques for caring for fruit trees after harvest, people need to change their farming methods towards organic farming, using manure to improve the soil and supplement nutrients for the tree; using biological products to prevent pests and diseases for the tree.