121–130 of 165 posts
I still very much enjoy my $20 fold-up tree from Walgreens with built-in lights. Just set up the stand, unfold it, and plug it in. And stores conveniently back in the original box, which even has a little plastic handle on it.
So it takes 8-10 years to grow a tree to maturity, and the profit margin for the farmer is $8-10 per tree. A farmer grows a tree for me to make a dollar per year. This is staggering to think about to me. Unreal.
Agreed... i don't understand why anyone would be in this business...
My city, Sunnyvale, CA, has "free" tree disposal. I once complained to the City about why I had to subsidize someone else's religion. The answer made sense: the trees would be dumped if the city didn't collect them.
I hate Christmas because Christmas decorations get stored around 10 or 11 months out of the year and I used to end up on antibiotics every year at Christmas. Storing stuff like that tends to leave it covered in mildew. I spoke once to someone who was allergic to Christmas trees and she was sympathetic. Everyone else typically hates on me for mentioning it. I'm a party pooper for not wanting to be deathly ill. It also…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
About half of the US doesn't have an economically workable species/breed of tree unless they charge those higher prices. Virgina Pine grows well in the south (was the historical staple crop until 20~25 years ago), but doesn't naturally grow in cone shaped, and requires trimming/shaping and spraying multiple times a year for the 4-8 years it takes to get a marketable tree. Most southern tree farms have replaced V.P. w…
If I can ask, why do you have so much knowledge of pine industry?
Grandparents had a +/-100 acre xmas tree farm growing up, maybe 20-30 acres of Christmas trees planted at any given time.
It's all planted with timber now.
Now Christmas trees look like the better money maker again.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
About half of the US doesn't have an economically workable species/breed of tree unless they charge those higher prices. Virgina Pine grows well in the south (was the historical staple crop until 20~25 years ago), but doesn't naturally grow in cone shaped, and requires trimming/shaping and spraying multiple times a year for the 4-8 years it takes to get a marketable tree. Most southern tree farms have replaced V.P. w…
It's been more than a decade, but in Florida sand pine was usually an indigenous option even at Home Depot. The needles are soft and they are wonderful trees.
It's one of the downsides of Lelands and other fast growing breeds, meaning ~3 years to mature instead of 5-6.
Timber has similar issues- fast growth is softer and weaker than old growth.
That said, there are some amazing and beautiful types of xmas trees being bred these days, but when it comes to holiday sentiment, different doesn't always sell.
Which sucks to find out after 6 years of invested time, labor, and cash. (Likely with 5 younger years of crop already planted, growing, and committed to.)
Timely. We just, as in a few hours ago, wrapped up our season as owners of a u-cut tree farm. It's relatively small, just under 30 acres. But our family was just doing a post-mortem on what went well, what we need to change and making fairly detailed plans for next year and even several years out. I can tell you more then you want to know about the growing, spring/summer and fall care. The shaping. The labor to trim,…
Is theft/security an issue for you? Mature Christmas trees must be one of the highest-value crops you can steal from a farm, and one of the easiest to fence.
People with 7-8' ceilings cut the top 6' out of a 12' tree bc they didn't like any of the younger trees.
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Successful season I assume? Seems like it's over early!
Related to this, how do repeat-customers play in? I'm that a major target?
Childhood memories are a strong psychological force.
So it takes 8-10 years to grow a tree to maturity, and the profit margin for the farmer is $8-10 per tree. A farmer grows a tree for me to make a dollar per year. This is staggering to think about to me. Unreal.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's been more than a decade, but in Florida sand pine was usually an indigenous option even at Home Depot. The needles are soft and they are wonderful trees.
Soft is pretty (and beats the hell out of pointy and prickly and sticky), but soft can't hold heavy ornaments- which is a deal breaker to most people. It's one of the downsides of Lelands and other fast growing breeds, meaning ~3 years to mature instead of 5-6. Timber has similar issues- fast growth is softer and weaker than old growth. That said, there are some amazing and beautiful types of xmas trees being bred th…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is theft/security an issue for you? Mature Christmas trees must be one of the highest-value crops you can steal from a farm, and one of the easiest to fence.
One type of theft at choose and cut is often just cutting the top out of a much larger tree, and attempting to only pay for the size of what they cut. People with 7-8' ceilings cut the top 6' out of a 12' tree bc they didn't like any of the younger trees.