Peach blossoms in Dong Son shed their leaves to welcome the Year of the Dragon 2024.

At this time, gardeners in Dong Son (Tam Diep city), the "capital" of peach blossoms, are rushing to carry out the tasks of caring for, pruning, and removing leaves, etc., to have beautiful peach trees that bloom in time for Tet (Lunar New Year). Many experienced peach growers here affirm: "With favorable weather, this year the peach blossoms will certainly be more abundant, with larger, more profusely blooming, and more beautiful than last year."

This is a crucial and decisive time for gardeners to care for and treat their peach trees to ensure they bloom beautifully for Tet (Lunar New Year). On hillsides or in home gardens, in addition to family labor, many gardeners also hire extra workers to dig up the soil around the roots, prune branches, and remove leaves.

With over 20 years of experience in peach tree cultivation, Mr. Pham Xuan Thuy (Hamlet 6, Dong Son Commune) is well-versed in the timing of leaf stripping to ensure peach blossoms bloom in time for Tet (Lunar New Year). Mr. Thuy explains: "The leaf stripping process helps the peach tree concentrate nutrients, ensuring abundant and simultaneous bud formation. Typically, leaf stripping should be done about 45 days before Tet. That's a general formula, but the weather varies each year, so adjustments must be made based on actual conditions. Additionally, it depends on the age of the peach tree; older, larger trees require later leaf stripping than smaller, younger ones because older trees usually bloom earlier."

Peach blossoms in Dong Son shed their leaves to welcome the Year of the Dragon 2024. — According to Mr. Thuy, on the same peach tree, the young, small branches should have their leaves removed before the older, larger branches to ensure that the tree flowers simultaneously.

According to Mr. Thuy, this year the cold weather came late, so the leaf stripping will also be done later. His family is focusing on pruning and removing dry, weak branches, while also providing the final round of care and fertilization to help the trees nourish their buds and shoots. Thanks to his solid technique, Mr. Thuy has consistently had beautiful peach trees blooming right on time for Tet (Lunar New Year) for many years. With 2 acres of peach trees, his family earns about 300 million VND each year.

Owning over 1,500 square meters of land with hundreds of peach trees, these days Mr. Pham Duy Duc (village 9, Dong Son commune) is constantly busy from morning till night with endless work.

Anh Duc shared: "Caring for peach trees is a year-round task. Right after Tet, we have to prepare the soil, fertilize, and prune the branches, then fertilize again in July and August of the lunar calendar. However, the busiest time is from October to the end of December, this is the period that determines whether the peach trees will have many buds and bloom in time for Tet. A whole year of hard work depends on this period, so it requires great care and meticulous planning."

Besides adjusting the flowering time to coincide with Tet (Lunar New Year), pruning and shaping the peach tree is also a crucial step in enhancing its value. In recent years, peach growers in Dong Son have actively learned and improved their skills, creating many beautifully shaped peach trees that are popular with customers.

Nguyen Van Toan, a long-time bonsai peach tree grower from Hamlet 5, Dong Son Commune, said: "To have a beautiful tree shape, you have to prune it according to standards and adapt the shape to the tree's trunk. The more complex the shape, the more time and effort are required, and the higher its value. This year, in addition to 250 long-standing bonsai peach trees (5-10 years old), to meet the diverse needs of the people, my family is also launching a new product: white plums."

Mr. Toan affirmed that this year the weather is favorable, with evenly distributed rain, allowing the peach trees to grow and develop well. Furthermore, it is a leap year, so the peach buds have had a longer dormancy period, ensuring that the peach trees will have more flowers, larger blossoms, and bloom more profusely and beautifully than last year.

Peach cultivation has been a part of the lives of the people of Dong Son commune for decades. Now, peach trees are not only a key crop, bringing high economic returns, but also a symbolic tree of the Tam Diep region. Unlike peach trees in other areas, the peach blossoms grown here possess a natural beauty, with graceful branches and leaves, abundant buds, large petals, and a delicate pink color, making them a popular choice for Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations. Currently, Dong Son commune has 10 villages specializing in peach blossom cultivation, with approximately 800 households engaged in the trade and an area of about 100 hectares.

Text and photos: Nguyen Luu

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