Hoa Tết nở sớm, nhà vườn đứng ngồi không yên

Instead of eagerly awaiting traders to finalize their orders, many households growing ornamental flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year) are experiencing sleepless nights due to the premature blooming of their flowers, while market demand is considered quite weak compared to previous years.

Chrysanthemum plants for Tet are carefully cultivated by gardeners but still face the risk of blooming at the wrong time. (Photo: Nguyen Lien)

Gardeners are anxious

In Cho Lach commune, Vinh Long province, Ms. Kim Hoa, a gardener with many years of experience in growing ornamental flowers, said that this year her family and siblings planted more than 10,000 pots of chrysanthemums. Of these, her own garden accounts for about 6,000-7,000 pots, with the rest planted by family members.

According to Ms. Hoa, the premature blooming of flowers is occurring in many gardens, not just hers. At Ms. Hoa's garden, the number of early-blooming flowers accounts for less than one-third of the total, about 3,000 pots. While not the entire crop, it's enough to cause the family concern and hope that favorable conditions will allow the flowers to maintain their shape and color until Tet (Lunar New Year).

Ms. Hoa and many other gardeners point to the erratic weather as the main reason. Prolonged periods of intense heat, followed by unseasonal rains, stimulate bud formation and premature blooming. This is a very difficult factor to control, even for experienced growers.

"Last year, some gardeners lost everything because they used a new variety but the flowers didn't bloom and had to be thrown away. This year, the flowers bloomed early, but at least there's still hope of selling them, as they can still be enjoyed well past Tet," Ms. Hoa shared.

The early blooming of chrysanthemums is causing many gardeners to worry about sales during Tet. (Photo: Nguyen Lien)

Facing the risk of flowers blooming at the wrong time, Ms. Hoa proactively posted early Tet flower sales on social media, targeting individual customers, cafes, restaurants, or those who need early decorations. However, this sales channel only helps sell a small portion and cannot replace the role of traders who buy in large quantities.

According to Ms. Hoa, her family also encountered trouble when a trader who had deposited 20 million VND to buy flowers later canceled because they were worried the flowers wouldn't bloom in time for Tet; the family agreed to return 15 million VND, keeping the 5 million VND deposit, but still worried about finding buyers.

A sluggish market

According to gardeners, the Tet flower market this year is quite sluggish. Traders visiting gardens are few and far between, unlike the bustling scene of previous years. Wholesale prices at the garden currently range from 160,000 to 170,000 VND per pair of chrysanthemum plants. Gardens with beautiful, uniformly shaped flowers can sell for 180,000 - 200,000 VND per pair.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Hong, who has over 10 years of experience growing ornamental flowers in Cho Lach flower village, said that this year she planted about 7,000 pots of chrysanthemums, including 5,000 pots of traditional yellow chrysanthemums and 2,000 pots of Korean chrysanthemums, along with several hundred pots of marigolds and cockscomb.

Ms. Hong is worried that keeping the flowers blooming in time for Tet (Lunar New Year) will incur additional costs. (Photo: Nguyen Lien)

What worries her even more is that flowers blooming too early will quickly fade, wilt, and not retain their beauty until Tet. To control the blooming time, gardeners have to apply technical measures such as limiting nitrogen fertilizer, increasing potassium, reducing direct sunlight, and regulating irrigation. However, these measures all increase production costs.

This year, the expected price is similar, but if the flowers bloom early, she might have to lower the price to make them easier to sell. “I don’t dare accept deposits this year either, I’m afraid the flowers won’t bloom on time and I’ll lose face with customers,” she shared.

Mr. Minh, another gardener in Cho Lach, said his family grows about 5,000 pots of chrysanthemums. To have flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year), he planted them in June of the lunar calendar and cared for them continuously for six months to ensure they bloomed on time for Tet. However, this year, 2,000 pots have started blooming early, so he has to find a way to sell them.

Early-blooming flowers are set aside for retail sale to customers. (Photo: Nguyen Lien)

“I took care of some of them to bloom for the Gregorian New Year, but unexpectedly, the flowers I intended to sell for Tet have also started blooming. This time, it coincided with the Gregorian New Year, so I managed to sell a few at 170,000 VND/pair, but I don’t know what will happen to the rest,” Mr. Minh worried.

According to Mr. Minh, investment costs have increased significantly this year. On average, each flower pot costs about 30,000 VND, about 10,000 VND more than last year due to increased fertilizer and pot prices. However, wholesale prices remain at last year's level; he fears that increasing them would make sales difficult. His approach is to sell the flowers as they bloom.

Meanwhile, in Sa Dec flower village, Ms. Tran Thi Bich Dung said her family grows about 3,000-4,000 flower pots of various types, including chrysanthemums, kumquats, marigolds, cockscomb, and some other short-lived flowers. The early blooming of chrysanthemums requires advanced techniques to manage, and not all gardens have the necessary resources.

According to her, this year gardeners are facing a "double cost": increased material costs while selling prices haven't improved. In addition, heavy rain and flooding have made care more difficult and increased losses.

Many chrysanthemum pots have bloomed prematurely, forcing gardeners to reconsider the selling time. (Photo: Nguyen Lien)

In an interview with a VTC News reporter, Mr. Tran Thanh Tam - Chi The head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Dong Thap province stated that compared to last year, this year's weather is generally more stable, without prolonged heatwaves causing serious pest outbreaks.

Regarding the phenomenon of early flowering, Mr. Tam said that about 20% of the flower production was intentionally managed by growers to bloom early to serve the Sa Dec Ornamental Flower Festival and the shopping demand for the New Year. In addition, the flowering process also depends on temperature and especially the light cycle in the garden.

However, he also acknowledged that regulating flowering to coincide with Tet (Lunar New Year) always carries risks, especially in the context of unpredictable weather fluctuations like the present.

As Tet approaches, growers continue to closely monitor the weather, carefully tend to each flower pot, and await positive signals from the market.