In the leaf peeling season, peach growers are busy in the fields.
With just over a month until Tet Nguyen Dan, the working atmosphere at flower gardens and peach gardens in Tan Hung ward (Hai Phong City) - considered the "capital" of peach trees - becomes much busier. On the long fields, people are busy entering the leaf peeling stage, the most important stage in the entire Tet peach care cycle.
Peeling leaves is not simply about removing old leaves, but a process that requires careful calculation. Peeling early or late in just a few days can directly affect the flowering time, durability and color of peach blossoms. In the context of increasingly erratic weather, this job becomes even more stressful for peach growers.
In the garden of Mr. Nguyen Van Xa and Ms. Tang Thi Thuc's family, work is being urgently deployed. With an area of more than 1 mau of peach trees and more than 20 years of attachment to the profession, Mr. Xa directly monitors each tree root, carefully considers before deciding to peel leaves. According to him, each peach tree root has different growth characteristics, and cannot apply a common time for everyone.
Mr. Nguyen Van Xa shared: "Sweeping the leaves is the most important stage of the whole peach blossom season. If you sweep too early, the peach blossoms bloom before Tet, and if you sweep too late, the flowers will not bloom in time. Just deviating for a few days will immediately affect the quality of the flowers.
According to Mr. Xa, in recent years, guarding the time to peel leaves has become more difficult due to erratic weather dien bien, cold - warm intertwined, no longer following the same rules as before.
Previously, it was still based on experience and the weather schedule, but now we have to monitor every day. Some days it's cold, the next day it gets sunny, peach growers have to calculate very carefully to dare to cut them down" - Mr. Xa said.
Not only peeling leaves, during this period, peach growers also have to closely monitor the development of buds, adjust the amount of irrigation water and prepare handling plans if the weather changes suddenly. The work therefore takes place continuously from early morning to late afternoon.
Attached to the peach blossom profession, waiting for flowers to bloom right on Tet.
Not far away, Ms. Pham Thi Hon's peach garden is also in the most stressful working days. To be on time for peeling leaves at the right time, Ms. Hon mobilized family members to participate. Each person with one task, focusing on handling each peach tree in a synchronous and decisive manner.
According to Ms. Hon, leaf peeling must be done quickly and evenly so that the plant can focus on nutrients to nourish buds. If done for a long time or not synchronously, peach blossoms will develop unevenly, making it very difficult to adjust for flowers to bloom on time for Tet. Therefore, these days, work usually starts early in the morning and lasts until late in the afternoon.
Ms. Pham Thi Hon said: "Leaf peeling must be done simultaneously and thoroughly. If done for a long time, the plant will develop unevenly, and if the buds do not bud simultaneously, it is very difficult to keep the flowers blooming on time for Tet.
According to Ms. Hon, these days, work has almost no rest time. From morning to afternoon, the whole family focuses completely on the peach garden, because this is the key stage of the whole crop.
The whole year depends on these days of peeling leaves. After finishing, we are temporarily reassured, the rest depends a lot on the weather," Ms. Hon added.
For Tan Hung peach growers, each Tet crop is the result of a whole year of hard care. After Tet, peach trees need a long time to recover, from pruning, fertilizing to preventing pests and diseases. Many peach trees must be nurtured for many years to have beautiful shapes and flowers that meet requirements.
Despite large investment costs, a lot of effort and always facing risks from the weather, people here still persistently stick to the profession. Peach blossom growing not only brings income but is also associated with the beauty of traditional Tet culture. The greatest joy of peach growers is to see healthy peach branches blooming in time when Spring comes, contributing to bringing spring colors to each family.
