With warm, sunny weather, peach growers in Nghe An province are worried about crop failure.

Despite regularly checking weather forecasts for proper care, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoi in Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu district) is still worried that the warm, sunny weather might cause the peach blossoms to bloom earlier than expected.

The family of Ms. Tran Thi Ha in Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu district) is mobilizing manpower to strip leaves from peach blossoms in their garden. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Hoi said that his family has more than 200 peach trees planted on a hilly coastal area covering nearly 1 hectare. As in previous years, around the 5th day of the 11th lunar month, the family removes the leaves to allow the trees to focus on nourishing and developing flower buds. Last year, with their experience and techniques, hundreds of peach trees bloomed right on time for the Lunar New Year, bringing in a high income. However, the warm, sunny weather for more than a week now is causing his family concern that the flowers will bloom before Tet.

In Quynh Luu district, there are currently dozens of households growing peach blossoms with thousands of trees, concentrated in the communes of Quynh Thang, Tan Thang, Quynh Tan, Tien Thuy, etc. Since 2015, mountainous households have taken advantage of their strengths to cultivate peach blossoms for Tet (Lunar New Year) to increase their family income. Since then, many families have invested money, effort, and learned from various sources about caring for and shaping the trees beautifully, awaiting the harvest day.

Stripping the leaves allows the tree to concentrate nutrients on creating peach blossom buds. Photo: Viet Hung

However, according to local people, unlike other plants that can be cared for and restored entirely by variety and technique, peach trees are largely dependent on the weather. Nevertheless, peach growers in Quynh Luu still focus on caring for their trees and learning from each other's experiences to ensure the flowers bloom in time for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Not only in Quynh Luu, but also in Yen Thanh district, peach growers are worried because the warm weather could be detrimental to them. Due to the unpredictable weather, some peach growers are removing leaves later this year instead of early as in previous years.

Ms. Ho Thi Ly from Kim Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) said that her family grows more than 500 peach trees. In previous years, the leaf stripping process would be completed around the 5th to 10th of November in the lunar calendar, but this year, due to the hot weather, it has been delayed by about 10 days. If the warm, sunny weather continues for another 10-15 days before turning cold, it will be considered a good harvest.

For peach trees whose leaves have been stripped for 10 days, if warm, sunny weather persists until close to Tet (Lunar New Year), there is a risk of the flowers blooming prematurely, causing losses. Photo: Viet Hung

"As Tet approaches, if the flowers haven't bloomed yet, it's easier to care for them so they bloom in time. Farmers just need to water them regularly, every 2-3 days, to create the conditions for them to bloom," Ms. Ly explained.

Nghe An province is a developed peach-growing region, with the highest concentration in the districts of Yen Thanh, Quynh Luu, Que Phong, and Nghia Dan... On average, each household earns between 50 and 100 million VND per year from peach cultivation.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), traders from all over flock to peach blossom villages in Nghe An province to buy up truckloads of peach blossoms to sell at markets. The trees are sold whole or cut into branches, with prices ranging from 300,000 VND to millions of VND per tree.