Dien Dien flower’s scientific name is Sesbania sesban. The classic flower blooms from late at night to the next morning. In order to make cotton delicious and sell at a good price, many farmers in the West often light up their lights to pick at midnight.

Classical cotton “on the throne”

Dandelion cotton is a typical product of the West in the flood season. In the past, this species grew wild in the fields, along rivers… Now, the tree is grown by many households along the border of the land.

People in Tinh Bien ( An Giang ) said that in the past, people here used to make a seasonal living. In the dry season, they work in the fields, and in the flood season , they go to the fields to fish. However, in recent years, most of the floods are shallow, and shrimp and fish are not as many as before, so Dandelions “on the throne”. Since then, many households have planted this tree to increase their income during the flood season.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Chon (59 years old, living in Nhon Hung commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province), in the past, dandelion flowers and Linh fish were considered as dishes of the “poor family”. Crazy dictionaries grow wild, but no one grows them like now. At that time, no one bought or sold it, or it was cheap to buy while the harvest was very hard. Now, wild flowers are expensive, wild plants are not enough to sell, so people grow their own.

Mrs. Chon’s family has grown a peacock for nearly 6 years. After 3 months of planting can be harvested. “The season when the water is floating, the flowers bloom for about 2-3 months. This is the most blooming time of the year. Every night, my wife and I light up the lights to go pick cotton for a few hours in time to sell to traders and small traders in the markets in the area,” said Ms. Chon.

Because the flowers are small, they are many and bloom very quickly, but buyers only love the buds that have just opened.

At the beginning of the flood season, Mrs. Chon and her husband often wake up at 1 am to light up the lamp to pick wild flowers. By 4-5 hours, they can also harvest 5-6 kg to bring to the market and deliver to small traders. As a result, an income of 200,000 – 300,000 VND/day. (1$=25,000 VND)

Family income is significantly improved

Because the classic flower blooms from late at night to the next morning, the cotton is delicious and sold at a good price, people often light up the lights in the middle of the night to pick it up. Because the harvest is late at night, people often wear flashlights to make it easier to harvest. In addition, to avoid insects, snakes and centipedes, they are also equipped with coats, hooded masks, and rubber boots.

Planting dandelion is simple, and does not take as much investment as other crops. Just gourd the tree, wait for the water to recede, then plug it into the ground, then wait for the tree to grow and bloom to harvest.

Mr. Nguyen Van Sang (55 years old, living in Tinh Bien district) said that thanks to the cotton bud, family income has improved significantly. Previously, he worked very hard as a housekeeper, but his maximum income was only 200,000 VND/day. From the time he switched to growing wild cotton, he did not have to work as a hired laborer, but he was economically self-sufficient.

“The first season of wild cotton is priced at 50,000 VND/kg. Every night, working hard to collect for a few hours, I earn 250,000 – 300,000 VND”, Mr. Sang information.

Photo: Internet