Flower growers are busy preparing for Tet.

(GLO)- These days, many flower-growing villages in the eastern part of Gia Lai province are bustling with preparations for the Tet flower season. However, erratic weather and strong development of pests and diseases have left many chrysanthemum growers "unsettled".

From the beginning of the 7th lunar month, Binh Lam flower growing village (Tuy Phuoc Dong commune) began the Tet flower season. The whole village currently has nearly 200 households growing flowers with a total area of ​​over 7 hectares, mainly crystal chrysanthemums and other flowers grown in greenhouses.

Mr. Van Tan Thanh (Binh Lam village, Tuy Phuoc Dong commune) is worried because many chrysanthemums of the Tet season have wilt disease and die. Photo: Trong Loi

After more than 1 month of care, the tree was in a good growth stage when it was suddenly attacked by pests and diseases, the most worrying of which was the wilt disease.

Mr. Van Tan Thanh sadly said: “I have grown flowers for many years but I have never found it as difficult as this year. The flowers were lush and green but suddenly their leaves wilted and they died. I had to pull them out and plant new ones, but the disease did not improve.”

Of the 300 pots of crystal chrysanthemums that Mr. Thanh planted, more than half were infected; the cause could be due to buying a batch of seedlings that already carried the disease.

If last year's Tet crop earned him more than 50 million VND, this year's profit is expected to decrease sharply. To avoid risks, he has set aside an additional 120 m² in the greenhouse to grow other types of flowers such as pico daisies, nightingales, gerberas, marigolds, and raspberry daisies...

According to statistics, about two-thirds of chrysanthemum growing households in Binh Lam are facing a similar situation, making early-season care difficult. However, households are still persistent in dealing with pests and diseases in the hope of having a stable income for the upcoming Tet holiday.

Not only growing flowers in the field, some members of Binh Lam Flower Service Cooperative also pioneered in growing tissue culture flowers in greenhouses with varieties such as tall gerbera, primrose, pico chrysanthemum... to diversify the varieties to serve the Tet market.

In the villages growing Tet chrysanthemums such as Vinh Liem (Binh Dinh ward), Go Sat (Van Duc commune), Kien Long (Binh An commune), gardeners are urgently taking care of the flowers to sell them in time for Tet. In Vinh Liem flower village, the atmosphere during Tet is also quite bustling. In recent years, the flower growing area has been reduced due to having to reserve land for residential construction, but about 20 households are still determined to keep the traditional profession.

This year, Mr. Le Van Tu (in Vinh Liem residential group) continues to invest in planting 300 pots of chrysanthemums. All the varieties are imported from Da Lat, ensuring quality so they grow well and are less susceptible to disease. Last year's Tet season, with the same number of pots, he earned more than 40 million VND. This year, he hopes that if the weather is favorable, the flowers will bloom beautifully and on time, bringing a stable income to his family.

Farmers in Vinh Liem residential group (Binh Dinh ward) are busy taking care of chrysanthemums for Tet. Photo: Trong Loi

“The wilting of the plants is still present but not significant thanks to my choosing the right variety and timely spraying of pesticides. Now the plants have been pruned for the second time, preparing for the phase of stopping the lighting to adjust the time of budding,” said Mr. Tu.

Along the National Highway 1 bypass or the main roads of An Nhon Dong ward these days, it is easy to see people busy taking care of apricot trees. Mr. Nguyen Van Hao, the owner of a large apricot garden in Thanh Liem residential group, currently has more than 3,000 apricot trees that are 4-5 years old. For the upcoming Tet holiday, he is preparing more than 1,000 "high-quality" yellow apricot trees and more than 300 bonsai apricot pots to sell to the market.

“After two stages of pruning and staking, now comes the most important stage - bud care. At this point, it can be said that the weather is favorable for apricot growers. This job is hard but fun because when the apricot blossoms, we know that Tet has come,” said Mr. Hao.

According to Mr. Phan Long Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Nhon Dong Ward, the entire ward currently has nearly 100 hectares of apricot trees with about 2,400 households participating. Last year, the revenue from selling apricot trees for Tet in the entire ward reached more than 70 billion VND.

Local authorities are advising people to control the area, avoid the situation of "supply exceeding demand", and at the same time promote the model of growing clean apricot trees, using biological products to both protect the environment and increase product value.

Despite facing many difficulties due to weather and epidemics, flower growers in craft villages in the eastern part of the province are still working hard in their fields and gardens. For them, each flower pot is not only an economic product but also the crystallization of much effort, faith and hope for a beautiful spring to come.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nguoi-trong-hoa-tat-bat-cho-vu-tet-post570466.html