Old farmer in Thanh Ha grows ornamental lemons to sell for Tet, 5 million VND per tree

In 2020, faced with the rapid changes in the ornamental plant market, Mr. Hoi decided to experiment with growing ornamental lemon trees. He planted dozens of pots and then focused on shaping and bending the trunks to make them look beautiful.

That year, when Tet came, many people were delighted to see the pot of lemons laden with golden fruit, so they competed to buy them to play Tet.

This success made him more determined to try his hand at shifting his focus to growing ornamental lemons.

He said that to meet the increasing demand of customers, creating beautiful ornamental lemon pots requires a lot of effort. He spent a lot of time researching lemon varieties suitable for local soil. Then, he decided to choose the French lemon variety with large fruit, bright skin, and beautiful yellow color.

To have beautiful lemon pots, from October to November last year, Mr. Hoi prepared seed embryos, grafted buds, planted them in pots, waited for the plants to stabilize and then took care of them.

In addition to selecting varieties, Mr. Hoi also applies the technique of grafting French lemon eyes onto grapefruit roots, creating beautiful, eye-catching and more valuable ornamental lemon pots. Ornamental lemon trees are bent and shaped to meet the aesthetic taste of customers. He also pays special attention to processing the fruit to have beautiful colors, be juicy and last long.

According to Mr. Hoi, growing ornamental lemons is different from growing regular lemons, requiring the grower to be more meticulous and careful. Fortunately, his family’s ornamental lemon pots were not affected by the recent storm because he quickly moved to a safe place.

Currently, Mr. Hoi's ornamental lemon garden has nearly 200 pots that are blooming beautifully.

Many customers have ordered lemons for Tet. He has just opened his garden and has sold 2 trees for 5 million VND each. Each pot is expected to cost from 1 to 10 million VND, depending on the size and style.

According to Mr. Hoi, during the days before Tet, his ornamental lemon garden is also a popular destination.

"During the Lunar New Year, income from ornamental lemons can be 3-4 times higher than selling regular lemons. With just a few months of care, I can earn many times more profit than growing lemons," Mr. Hoi shared.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thom in Trieu Dong village, Hong Thai commune, An Duong district, Hai Phong city said: "Every year, I wait until around December 15th of the lunar calendar to buy Mr. Hoi's ornamental lemons to play with. The advantage of Mr. Hoi's lemon pots is that the fruit is bright, the leaves are green, they can be used for a long time, and the lemon tree in the house always has a very pleasant aroma."

Sharing his successful experience growing lemons for Tet, Mr. Hoi is always persistent, creative and grasps market changes. He also focuses on applying technology in product promotion, helping to expand the consumer market.

“The market has now become more diverse, not only limited to traditional markets but also on many online platforms, so I often share lemon images on social networking sites. If we know how to take advantage of them, the product will bring high economic value,” said Mr. Hoi.

Currently, in addition to ornamental lemons, Mr. Hoi still maintains more than 1 hectare of lemon growing. Each year, his family harvests 3-4 tons of fruit and 5-6 quintals of lemon leaves, raising the total income from 300-400 million VND/year. His lemon garden is also open to visitors.