Gardeners growing peaches in Nhat Tan village and kumquat trees in Tu Lien village in Tay Ho district of Hanoi are busy preparing thousands of peach roots and kumquat pots to be sold at markets ahead of the Lunar New Year or Tet.
Flower farmers make use of the weeks before Tet to prepare for their busiest season as this is the time when many large agencies and companies come to the villages in order to purchase or lease trees for the new year.
Kumquat growers in Tu Lien district are busy pruning leaves, as well as shaping and bending trees.
Nurturing the trees to ensure the fruit ripens and the buds are flowering as Tet begins requires close attention.
According to a local kumquat tree farmer, the trees must go through a meticulous and elaborate bending process in order to sell them for a decent price during the holiday season.
Aside from traditional kumquat trees, bonsai kumquat trees are becoming increasingly popular during the Lunar New Year.
Farmers spend the final weeks in the build up to Tet uprooting their crop and transferring each tree into pots and jars.
A beautiful kumquat tree is sold at between VND800,000 andVND15 million, depending on its size and shape.
Next to Tu Lien, peach blossoms in Nhat Tan village are also ready to be sold to customers.
While some of these peach trees are already beginning to bloom, thousands of others are still awaiting care from farmers.
The peach roots each have small flower buds which are carefully nurtured by the farmers’ skilled hands to ensure that they produce the most beautiful flowers to sell for Tet.
The average price for a big-sized bonsai peach tree, which stands at between one metre and 1.5 meters tall is between VND5 million and VND6 million.
According to a farmer, climate conditions are the key factor to determine when the peach trees’ blossoms will bloom and whether they are beautiful or ugly.
Peach blossoms are more than a decoration item, particularly as their vivid beauty and profound meaning forms a big part of the life of Vietnamese people whenever Tet arrives.
