Thousands of pots of Korean chrysanthemums at the Tan An cooperative, An Hoa ward, Sa Dec city, have been placed on trellises to begin pruning (cutting off the tips) in preparation for seeding (flowering) – Photo: DANG TUYET
According to farmers in Sa Dec Flower Village, Dong Thap province, unseasonal rain has appeared for the past two days. This is somewhat unusual, because compared to the same period in previous years, the rainy season ended two weeks ago.
Mr. Dang Quang Giau – head of the Tan An ornamental flower cooperative in An Hoa ward, Sa Dec city – said that the cooperative's flower cultivation area is about 3 hectares, estimated to supply 200,000 flower baskets of various types to the market. This includes 35,000 baskets of multicolored Korean chrysanthemums, and they have stopped growing the traditional yellow chrysanthemums due to low selling prices.
"The rainfall at this time is a bit unusual compared to the same period in previous years. If it's only localized for 1-2 days, it's fine, but if the rain lasts for more than a week, we need to pay attention to drainage for the root system and reduce lighting at night," Mr. Giau said.
Mr. Dang Quang Giau (An Hoa ward, Sa Dec city) said that with rainy weather, he has to take extra care of his Tet flowers – Photo: DANG TUYET
According to the Economic Department of Sa Dec City, the area planted with ornamental flowers for the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake (2015) is approximately 100 hectares, including various types of chrysanthemums, roses, apricot blossoms, lucky bamboo, marigolds, apricot blossoms, orchids, etc. Of this, about 70 hectares were planted earlier, including various types of chrysanthemums, apricot blossoms, roses, etc.
Notably, the number of traditional yellow chrysanthemum baskets decreased to 75,000, while the number of other colored chrysanthemum baskets dropped to 100,000.
Farmers in Pho Tho - Ba Bo flower village (Binh Thuy district, Can Tho city) tending to Tet flowers - Photo: THAI LUY
Mr. Doan Huu Bon – a farmer from Pho Tho – Ba Bo flower village (Binh Thuy district, Can Tho city) – said that the heavy rain from yesterday evening until this morning – December 3rd – did not significantly affect Tet flower growers.
“At this time, flower growers are extremely vigilant in ‘watching’ their Tet flowers, especially monitoring the weather. They are most afraid of fungal diseases that often appear 2 or 3 days after rain. Therefore, this morning, flower growers began washing away rainwater, and then they will spray fungicides to treat the plants,” Mr. Bon said.
In Pho Tho - Ba Bo flower village, there are currently more than 200 households growing flowers for Tet (located in Long Hoa and Long Tuyen wards, Binh Thuy district).
Despite facing difficulties in recent years due to weather and slow sales, the villagers have still preserved their craft. They expect to supply the market with 100,000 – 200,000 baskets of various flowers, similar to the 2024 production.
At this time, other short-lived flowering plants are being removed from their containers and prepared for potting – Photo: DANG TUYET
Mr. Tran Thanh Tam, head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection in Dong Thap province, said that the cold and rainy weather has only appeared in the last few days, so it will take more time to assess the extent of its impact on Tet flowers.
"The annual cold weather phenomenon means that Tet flower farmers have mastered the techniques of caring for their flowers. In particular, chrysanthemums require careful regulation of sunlight to ensure they bloom at the right time."
Regarding the whitefly infestation that caused uneven blooming of yellow chrysanthemums last year, the agricultural sector has already issued warnings to farmers, and things are stable now,” Mr. Tam said.
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