The colorful chrysanthemums of Da K'Nang

(LĐ online) - The large, round, white-flowered peonies grown in Da K'Nang commune, Dam Rong district, or those that can "transform" into many vibrant colors, are becoming popular in the domestic market.

Báo Lâm Đồng•19/04/2025

A garden of pure white peonies at the Da K'Nang Agricultural Production Cooperative.

In Dam Rong district, the Da K'Nang Agricultural Production Cooperative is one of the pioneering units in converting perennial crops to high-tech vegetable and flower cultivation, expanding linkages with local people.

After a long period of producing vegetables and flowers using high technology, the Da K'Nang Agricultural Production Cooperative boldly began experimenting with growing cut chrysanthemums such as Macato and Calimero…

"The testing process has shown that the soil and climate of Da K'Nang area are very suitable for developing flower varieties, and the quality of the flowers is no less than that of famous regions like Da Lat and Don Duong," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Bao Nhi, technical manager of the cooperative.

These large, round, long-lasting white peony flowers are beautiful.

Bao Nhi is a young woman born and raised in the challenging Dam Rong region. Witnessing her father, the director of the Da K'Nang agricultural production cooperative, constantly seeking new directions for agriculture, Nhi understands the hardships faced by farmers. A graduate of the Plant Protection major at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, Bao Nhi hopes to apply her knowledge to her family's farming practices and wishes for the name Da K'Nang in particular, and Dam Rong in general, to become familiar to flower growers and enthusiasts nationwide.

Peonies are harvested and sorted according to flower size.

"Customers were very surprised when they heard the name Da K'Nang. Many people thought chrysanthemums had to be grown in Da Lat or nearby areas like Lac Duong or Don Duong. It seems this region is still unfamiliar to many people," Bao Nhi shared.

Da K'Nang Agricultural Production Cooperative is a pioneer in high-tech agricultural applications in Dam Rong.

Therefore, Bao Nhi was always concerned about finding ways to promote the cooperative's garden. Taking advantage of her youth, Bao Nhi created channels on Facebook and TikTok and actively used social media to film videos , take photos, and frequently livestream from the flower garden to reach a wide audience.

Currently, with approximately 5 hectares of greenhouses dedicated to propagating and growing peony chrysanthemums, the Da K'Nang Agricultural Production Cooperative supplies the market with 200,000 - 300,000 peony stems per month. During peak seasons like holidays and Tet (Vietnamese New Year), the quantity is significantly higher.

The climate and soil conditions in Da K'Nang are considered suitable for growing peonies.

According to the young engineer, peony chrysanthemums are quite difficult to cultivate. The cooperative imported the seeds from Malaysia, conducted tissue culture in Da Lat City, and then brought them back to Dam Rong for planting and propagation. Compared to the general market, the price of peony chrysanthemum seedlings is quite high, requiring advanced care techniques and a significantly higher investment than traditional chrysanthemum varieties.

"However, the price of peony chrysanthemums is considerably higher than that of traditional flowers. Furthermore, there aren't many places that grow this type of flower, and imported ones are quite expensive, so currently, the cooperative's production is still lower than market demand," Bao Nhi said.

After being cut from the garden, the chrysanthemums are trimmed at the base before being dyed according to requirements.

The dyed chrysanthemums have eye-catching and unique colors.

According to Bao Nhi, compared to some imported peony varieties, peonies grown in some localities in Lam Dong province such as Dam Rong, Da Lat, and Don Duong have better flower quality, with large, round blooms, making them popular with customers. Currently, the cooperative's supply is insufficient to meet the demand from stores in wholesale markets in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The dyed chrysanthemums have eye-catching and unique colors.

Through Facebook and TikTok, the cooperative has reached many potential customers. According to Bao Nhi, domestically grown flowers have many advantages over similar imported flowers.

"Typically, imported flowers are twice as expensive as domestically grown flowers. Meanwhile, domestically grown flowers are of comparable quality, and sometimes even have an advantage in terms of variety of sizes and designs. Domestic products also have higher durability and freshness than imported ones because they undergo a long process of packaging and cold storage during transportation from abroad," Bao Nhi analyzed.

Besides the original white color, the cooperative is also using a technique of dyeing flowers from the root to create a variety of colors according to customer requirements. The dyes used are bio-based, safe for users, and highly favored by the market because they create many impressive flower colors that reflect unique characteristics and personalities.

Using biological dyes to color white peonies results in a variety of different colors.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, Head of the Agriculture and Environment Department of Dam Rong district, said that the Da K'Nang agricultural production cooperative is not only a pioneer in applying science, technology, and high technology to production, but also contributes to creating jobs for many local laborers; including many ethnic minority workers.

The unit has also proactively sought new directions, in line with the development orientation of the high-tech agricultural sub-region of Dam Rong district.

Dyed chrysanthemums are popular in the market.

Although it only started a few years ago, the Phi Liêng and Đạ K' Nàng agricultural sub-region is now strongly developing high-tech agriculture, notably in flowers, bell peppers, and cantaloupes, which yield high productivity and income.

The propagation and expansion of peony cultivation is also one of the models highly valued by the local agricultural sector. However, scaling up this practice faces many difficulties due to the technical requirements and relatively high initial investment costs.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202504/sac-mau-cuc-mau-don-da-knang-a505b40/