The secret to helping a seedling nursery 'survive the storm' of 40 degree Celsius heat from Nghe An farmers
Xuan Hoang•August 8, 2025 06:50
On hot summer days, with temperatures reaching 39-40 degrees Celsius, work continues regularly at the Nghia Hanh forestry nursery village (Western Nghe An). Thanks to the application of heat-resistant solutions, people not only protect seedlings but also ensure production progress.
Clip: Xuan HoangNghia Hanh Commune (merging the old Phu Son, Tan Huong and Nghia Hanh communes of the former Tan Ky district) is one of the localities where the forestry tree nursery industry has developed strongly in recent years in Nghe An. The gardens of hybrid acacia, acacia mangium... are lined up on both sides of Ho Chi Minh road. Under the harsh sun of early August, people are still diligently taking care of the trees, with effective heat-resistant solutions. Photo: Xuan HoangMr. Nguyen Van Chinh, owner of a nursery in Chau Nam hamlet, Nghia Hanh commune, shared: "During this heat wave, the temperature can reach 41 degrees Celsius. If there are no protective measures, the seedlings can easily wither and die, causing tens of millions of dong in damage." Mr. Chinh's family's solution is to operate the sprinkler irrigation system continuously throughout the day. Photo: Xuan HoangMr. Nguyen Van Chinh said that 3 years ago, his family invested in a well and an automatic sprinkler irrigation control system worth nearly 100 million VND for a nursery area of 1,500 square meters. On hot days, the irrigation system must be operated regularly to keep the soil moist. Photo: Xuan HoangAccording to Mr. Chinh, installing an automatic irrigation system does not require going directly to the garden to operate it, but only requires one-time installation, then the system will automatically turn on the watering as desired. Photo: Xuan HoangBecause it is a sprinkler irrigation system, Mr. Chinh installed an automatic irrigation system to water every 5 minutes, each time lasting only 20 seconds. On these hot days, the irrigation system is turned on regularly from 8am to 5pm, so that the soil has enough moisture for the seedlings to grow. It is known that currently about 60% of the nursery area of Nghia Hanh commune has installed an automatic sprinkler irrigation system. Photo: Xuan HoangFor Ms. Tran Thi Thu's family, also in Chau Nam hamlet, they did not install a sprinkler system but watered manually with a hand-held hose. According to Ms. Thu, although watering by hand is more difficult, each time they water thoroughly, the soil is saturated with water, so they only water twice a day on these hot days. Photo: Xuan HoangWith manual watering using a showerhead, people water directly into the pots to fill them with water after each watering. Photo: Xuan HoangIn addition, many households also apply nets to cover the nursery. Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh - owner of a nursery in Nghia Hanh commune said, the entire 400 m2 nursery2are all covered with nets, helping to reduce heat radiation and avoid burning young leaves. Photo: XHDespite the extremely hot weather these days, the work of preparing soil, packing pots, and nurturing seedlings is still going on normally for those working in the nursery business in Nghia Hanh commune, in order to meet the demand for forestry seedlings for the domestic and foreign markets in the upcoming Autumn - Winter crop. Photo: Xuan HoangMr. Nguyen Xuan Nam - Chairman of Nghia Hanh Commune People's Committee said: The whole commune currently has 289 households participating in forestry seedling nursery with an area of up to 30 hectares. Every year, the whole commune sells tens of millions of seedlings, with revenue of 60 - 62 billion VND from the seedling nursery business. Photo: Xuan Hoang
