Busily taking care of Tet peach blossoms
According to preliminary statistics, Lam Dong province currently has more than 50 gardens specializing in growing Tet peach blossoms, with about 70,000 peach trees of all kinds.
This is the end-of-season care stage, and also the time when peach growers are anxiously monitoring each flower bud and weather changes.
For hundreds of households, growing peach blossoms is the main source of income every Tet holiday, so the unusual weather makes many gardeners worried.
At Bao Loc, Mr. Nguyen Tien Hong's Nhat Tan peach garden is busy with the season. He hires more workers to plant them in pots, shape them, number them and stimulate the flowers.
This year is a profitable year, but the weather in Bao Loc is quite favorable. The leaf peeling and pruning have basically been completed, many customers have come to rent peach blossoms for Tet display," Mr. Hong said.
In Hiep Thanh commune, since the beginning of December, Mr. Tran Toan's peach garden has always been bustling with people coming and going. The whole family almost "eats and sleeps" outside the garden, checking buds, stems, and leaves in the early morning and late afternoon to promptly adjust and take care of them.
This year's peach blossoms are developing quite well, but the weather is erratic. Just needing to peel leaves a few days early or late, the flowers bloom out of rhythm with Tet, so it is necessary to monitor very carefully," Mr. Toan shared.
According to gardeners, the long rainy season, interspersed with many cold air waves, makes peach blossom care more difficult. Peach growers must flexibly "block" or "push" peach blossoms by adjusting the amount of water, sun protection, moisturizing, and even covering with heat-retaining nylon when suddenly cold.
This year's peach prices are basically stable, ranging from 1.2–5 million VND/root, depending on the age and shape of the tree. Many customers have come to the garden to order or book early.
Peach blossom soup blooms right for Tet
According to the experience of growers, peeling leaves is the key stage that determines when peach blossoms bloom. When it is prolonged cold, you must peel them early; conversely, when it is warm, you need to postpone the time to avoid flowers blooming before Tet.
In Thach That 1 village (Tan Ha commune, Lam Ha), Mr. Nguyen Quang Tuan and his wife are pruning and posing for hundreds of peach pots preparing to leave the garden.
My family has about 350 Nhat Tan peach trees, Cao Bang and more than 150 trees that customers sent to take care of. This year, we divided the leaves into many batches to proactively respond to the weather," Mr. Tuan said.
Currently, Nam Ban commune is the largest concentrated Nhat Tan peach growing area in the former Lam Ha district.
Most of the people here go to build a new economy from Hanoi, bringing the traditional peach blossom growing profession. For them, peach blossoms are not only livelihoods but also memories, an indispensable symbol every Tet and spring.
Mr. Chu Van Loi, who has been attached to the peach growing profession for four generations in Nam Ban Lam Ha, said that this year he focuses on popular tree shapes such as "hyen", "tac do", "gu buc".
Most of the peach trees in the garden have been deposited by customers, the average rental price is about 2.5 million VND/root; ancient 40-50-year-old peach trees are priced up to 15-20 million VND.
Peach blossom care not only requires meticulousness but also knowing how to read the weather. Watching for the right time to peel leaves to master the flower season," Mr. Loi shared.
In the days leading up to Tet, Lam Dong peach growers are still diligently in the garden. For them, the moment peach blossoms bloom on time is not only the fruit of labor but also joy and hope for a full and warm spring.
