Long days of rain, many gardeners in Da Nang are struggling with Tet flower crop

Mưa dài ngày, nhiều nhà vườn Đà Nẵng nhọc nhằn vụ hoa Tết - Ảnh 1. — Recently, flower gardeners in Da Nang have faced many difficulties due to prolonged cold and rainy weather - Photo: THANH NGUYEN

At this time, gardeners in Da Nang are entering the final stage of flower care to supply the Tet market. However, the prolonged heavy rains in recent days have made many farmers worried that it will affect the quality of the most important crop of the year.

Van Duong flower village (Hoa Lien commune, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city) is one of the famous flower growing areas, specializing in supplying the Tet market in Da Nang and the Central Highlands provinces.

There are about 70 flower growers here who are busy taking care of their plants to avoid flooding and damage from heavy rains.

Mr. Nguyen Vinh (Kim Thoa flower garden, Hoa Lien commune) said that some types of flowers such as primroses, gerberas, chrysanthemums, etc. are especially sensitive to erratic weather.

Prolonged cold and rainy weather has a significant impact on these flowers, requiring flower growers to have experience in handling them.

“Currently, my flower garden has hundreds of types of flowers ready to be brought to market. Prolonged cold rain can cause many sun-loving plants to bloom late for Tet. Flower growers have to keep lights on all night to help the plants grow well. In addition, in this weather, farmers need to take good care of the flowers to avoid pests and protect flower buds,” said Vinh.

Mưa dài ngày, nhiều nhà vườn Đà Nẵng nhọc nhằn vụ hoa Tết - Ảnh 2. — At this time, Mr. Nguyen Vinh (Kim Thoa flower garden, Hoa Lien commune) started supplying flowers for the Tet market - Photo: THANH NGUYEN

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Tinh's flower garden has both grown and imported a large quantity of hydrangeas from Da Lat. These days, Mr. Tinh is busy tending and selecting the right blooming plants to prepare for the Tet market.

“The plants that start to bud will bloom right on Tet, the plants that bud early or late will mostly bloom unevenly. This type of flower especially likes well-drained soil. Heavy rains like the past few days will not allow the water to drain fast enough, which can cause the plants to become waterlogged and the flowers to quickly wither,” said Mr. Tinh.

Each pot of hydrangea in Mr. Tinh’s garden currently costs about 100,000 VND. With more than 1,000 pots in his garden, Mr. Tinh estimates that only more than half of the plants will bloom on time, causing a decrease in revenue during the Tet season.

Mr. Phan Dinh Phung (Hoa Lien commune) said that many short-term flowers he had just planted such as sunflowers, chrysanthemums, marigolds, etc. Heavy rains made the plants easily damaged.

For vulnerable flowers like primroses, Mr. Phung had to quickly build a roof to minimize damage. This is also the time when people spray pesticides on the plants, as prolonged rain makes spraying difficult and reduces effectiveness.

According to the Van Duong Ornamental Plant Production, Trading and Service Cooperative, at this time of year many people have started shopping for Tet flowers. The prolonged rain has also affected the purchasing power of the market.