At this time, flower gardeners in the West are busy preparing crops to supply the upcoming Lunar New Year market.
In Hau Giang, Mr. Tran Van Nhanh (Chau Thanh A district, Hau Giang province) was excited when traders placed early orders, the quantity doubled compared to last year.
Mr. Nhanh plans to plant nearly 8,000 pots of marigolds, along with some ornamental plants such as bougainvillea and ornamental almonds, for the Tet flower crop. He has been planting long-term plants since the 8th lunar month, while marigolds will start in the 11th lunar month.
"The Tet flower situation this year is better than last year. The marigolds have just been planted and traders have already called to place orders. My wife and I are also busy preparing fertilizer and pesticides, hoping this crop will be profitable. Last year's Tet flower crop alone, I earned more than 65 million VND," said Mr. Nhanh.
According to records, small and medium-sized gardeners mainly focus on mid-range flowers that are easy to care for and require low investment costs, such as marigolds, chrysanthemums, lisianthus, sunflowers, etc.
The Tet flower crop is always the season that brings high profits to gardeners in the year, but due to complicated weather conditions, Mr. Pham Van Ut (Binh Thuy district, Can Tho city) has to consider more carefully when choosing flower varieties and care processes.
According to the sharing, for this year's Tet flower crop, Mr. Ut will plant 1,500 pots of chrysanthemums, 200 pots of lucky flowers and about 100 pots of hanging flowers of various kinds. The number of flowers planted increased by about 600 pots compared to last year. Of which, 1,300 pots were ordered by traders early, the rest will be brought to the retail market by this gardener.
"The price of seedlings and fertilizers have both increased, so I carefully choose healthy plants that are suitable for the weather to avoid death. I also take care of and water them more carefully. It's not Tet yet, but flower prices have increased. It's likely that flower prices will improve closer to Tet," said Mr. Ut.
Local agricultural sectors recommend that due to the impact of storms, rain, and erratic heat, ornamental flower growers need to regularly monitor and promptly respond to adverse weather developments.
Accordingly, gardeners need to equip temporary rain and sun protection systems to limit the impact of weather on plant growth; increase organic fertilizer application to help plants have good resistance, limit pests and diseases; improve irrigation ditch systems, clear water flows to limit damage caused by flooding...
According to the agricultural sector of Hau Giang province, in order to help farmers grasp techniques and market trends, in the coming time, the locality will continue to conduct training sessions, share experiences; organize many activities to support farmers to help them stabilize production and output of Tet flowers.
