Farmers in Quynh Luu are tending to peach blossoms for Tet (Lunar New Year).

(Baonghean.vn) – With just over half a month left until the Lunar New Year of the Rooster, peach blossom garden owners in Quynh Thang commune (Quynh Luu district) are currently actively caring for and pruning branches so that the flowers will bloom in time for Tet.

This is the eighth year that the family of Mr. Le Van Luan in Hamlet 2, Quynh Thang, has been growing peach blossoms for sale during Tet (Lunar New Year). With an area of ​​more than 1 hectare of hilly land, he has developed the peach blossom cultivation business, growing hundreds of trees each year.

The peach orchard of Mr. Le Van Luan's family in Hamlet 2, Quynh Thang commune (Quynh Luu district) has nearly 400 trees.

According to Mr. Luan, about 10 years ago, some households started growing peach blossoms in their gardens. However, at that time, peach blossoms weren't very popular, so the price was very low. By 2000, peach blossoms had become widely used during Tet (Vietnamese New Year) and were an indispensable flower in homes every time Tet and spring arrived. Based on this demand, in 2011, Mr. Luan brought some peach tree saplings from other places to plant and propagate. Currently, his family's garden has about 400 peach trees thriving. He estimates that, if the weather is favorable, his family will earn over 100 million VND in profit from selling peach blossoms.

“This year, my family has prepared about 200 peach trees to sell during Tet (Lunar New Year), including 150 potted trees and 50 branches cut from the base. Even more exciting is that the weather has been favorable this year, making it easier to care for and stimulate flowering. If it doesn't get cold from now until the 15th day of the first lunar month, these 200 peach trees will produce beautiful flowers and buds, and the price will be higher,” Mr. Luan said.

According to Mr. Luan, the warm, sunny weather means that the care will be delayed compared to cold weather. However, with many years of experience, the peach blossoms in his garden always bloom beautifully during Tet.

According to peach blossom growers, ensuring that peach blossoms bloom precisely for Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) requires proper care; regularly monitoring the weather to prune the trees and branches. Warm weather allows for later care, while cold weather necessitates earlier care.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a peach blossom grower in Quynh Thang, peach trees are planted from the end of January to the beginning of February in the lunar calendar. In April and May, they prune away bad branches at the base to nourish the upper branches; in July and August, they continue to cut down overly tall branches and trim them to create an even canopy. Starting in late November, they remove all the leaves to encourage flowering and new shoots. If it gets cold during this time, they use warm water to water the trees so the flowers will bud quickly.

"More than 100 peach trees in our family's orchard have already started to bud, and new shoots have emerged evenly. With this rate of development, around the 20th of the lunar month, the peach trees will produce buds and bloom beautifully," Mr. Hung said.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the peach blossom growing village of Quynh Thang commune becomes bustling with people and vehicles coming to buy peach blossoms. Beautiful peach trees that meet all three criteria – buds, flowers, and new shoots – are purchased by traders at very high prices, from 1.5 million to 2 million VND per tree, while the rest fetch an average price of 500,000 to 1 million VND per tree.

Mr. Ho Nghia Manh, a trader who buys peach blossoms, said that although Tet (Lunar New Year) is still half a month away, they have to go to the flower garden owners to place orders in advance. Around the 20th or 22nd of Tet, they will come to transport the peach blossoms to districts, cities, and towns in the province to sell.

Thanks to favorable and fertile land, there are currently nearly 100 households in Quynh Thang commune growing peach blossoms, with thousands of trees in total. The highest concentration is in Hamlet 1 and Hamlet 2. Adjacent to the commune is the mountainous Tan Thang commune, also a region with many peach blossom growers, some households cultivating as few as 5 trees, while others have around 100 or more. If the peach blossoms bloom during the Tet holiday, it provides the local people with a considerable income.

Viet Hung