Kumquat season is good, peach blossoms are still "waiting" for the weather

There are only 20 days left until Lunar New Year, but with the unpredictable weather at the end of the year, peach growers are still worried, looking for ways to cope, while kumquat gardens in the suburbs of Hanoi are ripe, ready to welcome Tet.

Kumquat season

We arrived at Quang Ba kumquat garden, Tu Lien (Hanoi) on the morning of January 16, when the weather in Hanoi had begun to warm up. The Tet atmosphere here was truly "rich" when the kumquat gardens were in full bloom, just waiting for customers to "pick them up". The garden owners were all happy because although the weather this year has been erratic, up to this point, it has been certain that the kumquats will have a good harvest and good prices.

Peach growers are still "waiting" for the weather.

This year, kumquat growers are inclined to invest in "popular" kumquat varieties, bonsai kumquats only account for a small part, the reason is that buyers' demand in difficult times is no longer as picky as before. A kumquat garden owner in Quang Ba, Tay Ho said: "Learning from last year's experience, bonsai kumquat prices are high so many times customers only choose to buy regular kumquats, many gardens invest too much but do not make a profit. During the price storm, we only dare to invest in popular types to be safe."

Although the harvest is good, the price of kumquat this year will increase compared to last year. According to kumquat garden owners, the price of care and transportation services for kumquat trees has increased, forcing them to increase the selling price. Currently, kumquat trees usually cost from 150,000 - 300,000 VND/tree, the price of kumquat fluctuates depending on the type, and depending on the demand of customers. Near Tet, the number of customers coming to the garden to buy increases, so the price will continue to increase. "At this time every year, customers come to order and buy a lot, but this year the number has decreased, and it is not as fussy as every year. Therefore, although the harvest is a big success, we still dare not celebrate too soon because we still depend on the number of customers coming to buy and the investment of the buyers," said a garden owner.

Peach price increase

At Nhat Tan peach garden, peach growers are still waiting for the weather and cannot predict anything as most of the peach gardens are still in the bud stage. Some peach trees have had their first blooms. However, the recent severe cold spell has had a significant impact on the quality of this year's peach trees. Many garden owners complained that many buds were blind and burned black due to frost, buds were also sparser, while some early blooming flowers would quickly wither, making the peach trees less beautiful. Many beautiful bonsai peach trees that were pre-ordered by customers are in the same situation at this time.

Because the quality of peach trees this year is not as good as previous years due to the constantly changing weather, prices are expected to be quite high. According to predictions from garden owners, to buy a beautiful peach tree to play Tet this year, customers will have to spend from 500,000 - 1,500,000 VND, and some bonsai peach trees cost up to tens of millions of VND. However, with "genuine" peach trees, the high price is not a concern, because customers looking to buy are usually "rich people" who do not mind spending a large amount of money to have a beautiful peach tree to play Tet.

The owner of Tuan Viet peach garden said: "This year, the price of fertilizer and services have increased. To have a peach tree to sell for Tet, we have to spend a lot of money on labor, care, and transportation. With the current peach situation, we growers are in a difficult situation. Only by increasing the selling price can we hope to recover those costs."

Having reached the final stage of the race to the finish line, peach gardens in Nhat Tan are now focusing on taking "maximum" care of their peach gardens. Some gardens are pruning the tips of branches to stimulate buds and help buds grow quickly. Some gardens have begun to cover them with plastic to avoid frost in preparation for the upcoming cold spells. According to the owner of Huong Cong peach garden: "This year's weather has made us peach growers lose sleep and appetite, constantly having to find ways to cope. Before the cold season, we had to prepare for the possibility that this year's peaches would bloom early and find ways to slow them down, but the late cold spells have continued, forcing us growers to still prepare plastic and electric lights to warm the peaches so they bloom quickly." The constantly changing weather has made peach garden owners inevitably worried that they won't have beautiful peaches to sell for Tet. But if the current rainy and frost-free conditions continue, there is still hope for a successful peach season.

According to News -TH