Orchid gardeners busy taking care of Tet flowers

Miracle of care

This year, Hai Ha Phalaenopsis orchid garden in Thach Khoi ward (Hai Duong city) planted more than 40,000 orchids. This is an orchid garden that has invested in and applied many modern scientific techniques. The garden owner, Mr. Pham Hai Thanh, has nearly ten years of experience in growing Phalaenopsis orchids.

According to Mr. Thanh, orchids are difficult to grow, so it is necessary to ensure favorable conditions for the growth of the plant. Growing orchids for Tet is often very difficult because it requires some scientific advances in the care process. "To prepare orchids for the Tet flower market, we have to take good care of them 5-6 months in advance. During this time, orchids must be watered regularly and closely monitored to promptly kill insects and pathogens that harm the stems and flowers. Orchids for Tet must be supplemented with adequate nutrients so that when customers buy them, they can still grow green and healthy for a whole month," Mr. Thanh shared.

In early 2023, Mr. Duong Hai Doan and his friends pooled capital to build Doan Thuong orchid garden (Gia Loc) on an area of ​​2,500 m2 with a total cost of about 10 billion VND. Here, Mr. Doan planted more than 70,000 orchids. Although grown in a greenhouse and applying many modern care techniques, it is not easy to get orchids to bloom in time for Tet. According to Mr. Doan, orchids are plants that prefer cool climates, so growing them in Hai Duong is quite difficult. For orchids to develop and grow well, he had to install an automatic misting system and a large-capacity air conditioning system to adjust the temperature and humidity accordingly. Preventing pests and diseases for orchids also requires growers to have many years of experience.

"At this time, orchids are in the bud stage, so care is more complicated. To make orchids bloom in time for Tet, we have to take turns on duty 24/7. In addition to humidity, temperature is also adjusted to suit between day and night. Besides, orchids are prone to soft rot, so we spray medicine to prevent disease every 15 days. Because orchids are grown in an artificial environment, we have to invest over 500 million VND to install a generator system to prevent incidents from happening," said Mr. Doan.

Early bird booking

Although there are still about 2 months left until Tet, most orchid gardens in Hai Duong have had traders place orders very early. Doan Thuong orchid garden has 70,000 plants, of which 20,000 plants have been ordered by customers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Son (33 years old) in Binh Giang district is one of the first orchid buyers at Doan Thuong orchid garden. Understanding the market demand, he collected orchids in large quantities early and focused on selling them online. Currently, Mr. Son is promoting his products on social networking sites such as Facebook, Zalo, TikTok...

"I bought about 5,000 orchids from Doan Thuong orchid garden to sell online. Many customers have placed orders because the price of orchids is now cheaper than before Tet. We also support customers in decorating, putting orchids in pots and delivering them to their doorsteps upon request," said Mr. Son.

According to the owner of Hai Ha Phalaenopsis orchid garden, the current price of orchids is the same as last year due to competition with the Chinese market. Large orchids cost from 125,000 to 130,000 VND/root, small orchids from 115,000 to 120,000 VND/root. Of the more than 40,000 roots, Hai Ha Phalaenopsis orchid garden will wholesale about 30,000 roots to traders in Hai Phong, Hanoi, and Quang Ninh. The time when customers come to buy the most is from the end of the 11th lunar month because this is when orchids begin to bloom. "Currently, many customers have contacted us to order orchids, but we have not received any orders because the orchids are still in the bud stage. In addition to growing orchids to sell for Tet, we also cooperate with an orchid garden owner in Da Lat to be able to supply orchids all year round," Mr. Thanh added.

This year, orchids brought to the market by gardeners to serve the people's Tet decoration needs are not only rich in variety but also diverse in color and price. It is predicted that orchid gardens in the province will bloom in time for Tet, meeting the needs of orchid lovers during the coming Tet and spring.