Want to start a Christmas tree farm? Need a sample Christmas tree business plan template? Want to enjoy the Christmas season ? then I advise you to keep reading.
If you are looking to turn your piece of land into cash, you should consider growing Christmas trees. Operating a Christmas tree farm requires minimal maintenance, making it ideal for working in your spare time. And it can bring you huge benefits for years to come.
Christmas trees take an average of eight years to mature. As such, this may not be a good option for you if you are looking for faster profits or if you cannot guarantee long-term ownership of the land you own. But if you think that eight years is not too long, you can get started with growing Christmas trees.
Planting part of your village with new trees each year will provide a stable income as the trees mature in an average of eight years and are harvested and replanted. If you like the idea of growing a Christmas tree and want to start your own business, read this article to understand the basics of the business and everything you need to know before you get started.
How profitable is a Christmas tree farm?
The average price of a tree is around $ 50. One acre of land can hold 200 Christmas trees ready to harvest. So from an acre of land you can get $ 10,000 per crop. It’s $ 50,000 with five acres of land.
And since the cost of growing a Christmas tree is mostly labor intensive like cutting saplings and mowing for weed control, you can save most of the profit. ; or even all if you do all the work yourself.
Since most varieties of Christmas trees take up to eight years to reach the popular harvest height of 5 to 7 feet, a smart way to ensure a stable annual income is to start by planting a large number of trees. ‘trees ( one acre can accommodate 1,500 trees at a standard 5 x 5 spacing ), then replant an eighth of that number each year, or about 200 trees per acre.
What types of Christmas trees are there?
There are several types of Christmas trees, but the three most popular are:
- Scots pine
- balsamic fir
- Douglas-fir.
Scots pine is most popular with Christmas tree farmers because it grows quickly in a wide range of climates and is more resistant to drought and other adverse weather conditions due to its deep roots. However, regular shearing is required to form the desired cone shape of a traditional Christmas tree.
Balsam fir is popular in places with colder winters and cooler summers because it grows well in those places. Since balsam fir has a natural cone shape, minimal cutting is necessary for an ideal crop. Douglas fir grows well in areas with a mild climate and well-drained soils. It retains its needles after being cut and, like balsam fir, is naturally cone shaped, so minimal trimming is required to give it the perfect Christmas tree shape.
How are the trees planted?
As a tree maker you have two options. First of all, you can buy seeds and plant them yourself in a nursery. You will need to grow them as they will become seedlings over the next couple of years, after which you can transplant them to the farm.
The second – and usually better – option is to buy seedlings in bulk. grow them and plant them in a prepared farm. This option eliminates the need to grow plants at the seeding stage, which takes two years!
The seedlings will be planted on a 5 x 5 trellis to provide enough space for sunlight to hit the young trees. thus, they can grow healthy and uniform.
One of the advantages of New Year’s farming is the small amount of labor required. You rarely do much in the first four years. But after this period, you will need to prune the trees every year to help them grow the bushes to the fuller shape that buyers prefer. And you will also need to prune trees regularly, depending on whether your trees are naturally cone shaped or not.
How accurately do farmers or buyers make money from Christmas trees?
Many Christmas tree growers or buyers make a lot of money selling greenery, wreaths, and garlands. In fact, manufacturers do more by selling these items than felled trees. Some wreaths can cost $ 100 and around 2 whole trees. And a felled tree can bring more than 3 crowns or more.
Farmers living near cities who can sell their trees or wreaths directly to customers get the most profit. For other growers, partnering with organizations like Rotary that can help them sell their trees makes a lot of sense because the prices are higher than selling to wholesalers.
What is the potential of New Year’s agriculture?
The market for live trees is growing. Until now, artificial plastic trees were much more popular. But the buying public is now turning away from artificial trees in favor of natural, real things. Market research shows that sales of artificial Christmas trees peaked in 2007 and have been declining since then. That is why the number of Christmas farms is steadily increasing every year.
Result
As you can see, growing Christmas trees on a farm can be very profitable because the start up and maintenance costs are low and the demand is high. And besides generating a good income, you will ensure erosion control and help improve the environment, therefore, growing Christmas trees is a green business that can be a win-win for you and the planet.
