Cultivating Christmas trees is a long, drawn-out process, and so Christmas tree growers really do have their work cut out. From seed, it takes between 8 and 12 years to grow a 7-foot tree, depending on the species. Seeds are usually grown in nurseries for 3 to 4 years before the Christmas tree farm buys them, and then they are planted and cultivated on the farm for the remainder of the time. The outcome depends on species of tree, soil type and weather conditions, amongst other things such as cultivation techniques.

In the UK, providers of quality Christmas trees can be identified by the BCTGA logo. The BCTGA (British Christmas Tree Growers Association) is the trade association for those who grow fresh Christmas trees in the UK and is an assurance that only the freshest trees are available for sale. Such trees are grown in accordance with the BCTGA environmental code of practice, meaning they are guaranteed fresh and will last around 4 weeks.

If you only stick to Christmas tree growers that are members of the BCTGA, then you should have no problems at all with your real Christmas tree. Once trees are cut they begin to slowly lose their freshness, and good farms leave the cutting of their Christmas trees as late as possible. Better still, if you go to a farm where you can choose your tree before it is cut down, you will be sure that your cut Christmas tree is as fresh as can be. UK-based Christmas tree growers work hard to ensure that they offer a wide variety of tree, and these include the popular Norway spruce and Nordmann fir, as  well as other species such as the Noble fir; Fraser fir; Lodgepole pine; Scots pine; Serbian spruce and Blue spruce.

You can feed the animals at this one XmasTreeFarm.co.uk which is located just outside the beautiful village of Downe in Kent, or this one in Chesham  ChristmasTreeFarm.co.uk

Many varieties of Christmas tree are grown on farms and vary in terms of popularity. In the US, the Douglas fir, Scots pine and Fraser fir are most in demand, whilst the Nordman fir and the Norway spruce are the most popular Christmas trees in the UK.

Farming Christmas trees is very demanding work. For maximum yield and quality, the land must be flat or gently sloping and free from debris and weeds. If there is debris present such as rocks, then bulldozing and tilling of the land may be required.

Once seeds are planted, the work continues, with crops being closely monitored in order to prevent the occurrence of pests and disease. Christmas trees are vulnerable to a range of pests, with aphids and adelgids causing the most problems, and pesticides are used to counteract this. Several species of tree also require pruning and shearing 2-4 years after planting, in order to gain the required ‘Christmas tree shape’

Many Christmas Trees are grown on Christmas Tree Farms

Christmas trees require a specific set of nutrients to thrive, and there are 16 elements needed for growth. Hydrogen, oxygen and carbon are obtained through air and water, but the other elements are obtained from the soil. If these elements are not present, then the use of nutritious fertilisers is imperative.

Different types of tree thrive in varying soil conditions: the Pine likes a sandy or sandy loam soil, whilst the White Spruce and Douglas-fir prefer fine-textured or clay soils. Some trees grow well in any type of soil, but the land must be well-drained for a Christmas tree farm to thrive. The weather also affects the yield of a Christmas tree farm – severe cold or hot and dry conditions can both cause irreparable damage to crops. In recent years there has been substantial importation of trees into the UK from Norway and other countries.

You can plant around 1,000 trees to an acre, spaced 6 feet away from each other in both directions. Firs can be placed a little closer at say 5 ½ feet. This number of trees. For large operations several ages of trees must be present to support sustained annual harvests; with approximately 10% being harvested in any given year at a Christmas Farm.
The required number of years required to produce a tree ready for its first harvest does depend on the species, the fertility of the earth, species, where in the country it is was planted and of course height. Christmas tree farms usually produce 6 or 7 foot trees, the Scotch pine takes on average 7 to 9 years with the true firs such as the Douglas taking a couple of years longer. This time can be reduced if intensive management practices are applied.

The final stage of cultivation is the harvesting, and this is done in several ways. Pick-your-own tree farms are very popular, where customers visit a farm, view the Christmas trees and then select one before cutting it down themselves. Some farms specialise in producing potted trees with roots that can be replanted after the holidays – the advantage of this is that the farmer does not have to wait the 8-10 years for the tree to be fully grown. The ultimate goal of all modern Christmas tree farming methods is to produce high quality trees in order to meet the high expectation of the customer and thus achieve maximum profit.