How much does it cost to grow a Christmas tree? Planting seedling to cash in hand.

[@unclev7075]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing

[@atcman2003]

I love that you break it down to the penny. You break it down to a science. Show me your P&L sheet though.

[@kingofwake]

Thanks for taking the time to break it all down. Much appreciated!

[@cindywellner-guzman7733]

We are going to start our Christmas tree farm this year(2023). Came across your video and enjoying very much.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Good luck!

[@TheGiantAdventurer]

Excellent info, I'm glad I found your channel.

[@queenelizabeth4242]

My 20 yo son is interested in farming Christmas trees. We have the land. I appreciate you making this video.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Knowing how the costs break down is very helpful! Thank you for making this video

[@kurtreinhardt6789]

Thanks for the breakdown on the cost per tree

[@HelluvaGuy-t3c]

Helluva lotta good information here Mr. Flanagan. Thank you.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Thanks for kind words. Hope it helps.

[@OscarstacyPretty]

Thank u ❤22 I got a real tree once as a kid

[@GardeninginKentucky]

Thank you for this video. I am planning on growing a Christmas tree farm in the near future. Your video helps a lot.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Good luck on your farm.

[@danahasson2892]

Thanks rob I know I was one of the people that I've asked for a video like this so it was great to see

[@jefffuchs5434]

I am projecting $5.00 per year for 8 years equaling $40.00

[@codybrown1297]

Love the content. Have my eye on an existing farm that owners want to retire out of.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Excellent, you would not have to wait 7 years for your first sale like I did starting from scratch. Where are you looking to buy?

[@fordmiller5273]

Aspiring farmer in ks/mo. Working on finding our land but the state nursery has cheap saplings and plugs so we are hopeful to make it work.

[@bradrook3919]

I'm thinking of purchasing 14.7 acres. Im thinking of committing 10 of those towards a Christmas tree farm...Im kind of familiar with farming as I too am from the PNW...and grew up helping on farms and logging...I later started a landscaping business. I just don't know that much about the different tree species...and care. Thank you for your teachings and help...Im subscribed to your channel and will learn...Again thank you for your kindness...God Bless..

[@FlanaganHomestead]

I hope your plan works out.

[@OscarstacyPretty]

I domt know how to plant a tree but I willing to learn as I got some flowers seeds at the library and I'm broke cap

[@kevinjensen681]

Rough numbers I throw at my trees real quick is $2 to get them in the ground and $1/tree/yr for maint, that maint cost is going up though now, it will be interesting to see where my budget is now. 30 acres in western WA

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Thanks for input. Those seem like very realistic and simple numbers. How much labor are you hiring and how much are you doing yourself?

[@dirkbrown297]

Hey Kevin, I just bought 10 acres, 5 are in Christmas trees. Various sizes and varieties. Because I know zero about Christmas trees, saw this video then saw your comment. You do very well with your trees.

[@kandrabramble619]

Thank you please tell me what kind of granulated fertilizer you used

[@OscarstacyPretty]

Just watching

[@OscarstacyPretty]

Graduation 🎓

[@mikekeith8668]

We are starting small with 5 acres in north Florida. It use to be a pine straw farm but they harvested the timber about 5 years ago. Most of the stumps are rotted out. Our bush hog breaks them up when it unfortunately hits them. We were thinking about planting 1 acre per year. Raising rabbits and selling them too. They’re waste used as fertilizer pellets essentially. That’s the thought anyways.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Sounds like a good plan. What trees will you be planting.

[@mikekeith8668]

Leyland cypress and sand pine for the first year. This is mainly due to our soil type.

[@garrettevans9481]

I’m looking into starting a Christmas tree farm here in SW Missouri. It’s a totally different climate but I think it’ll be doable. It just seems like a beautiful, rewarding endeavor.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Pretty much every state has some variety of Christmas tree they grow. Arizona not much. Find the right variety and it can be rewarding. Good luck.

[@kevinrobinette6892]

Hi Rob. I just planted my first 100 grand fir yesterday. I'm in E. WA. I found your videos last fall and have learned so much from you. Keep up the great work.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with your trees.

[@shanedecoste6395]

Rob, great insights you have shared. I'm just starting a 20-acre wholesale farm this year in Nova Scotia. The 20 acres was a mixed stand harvested last summer. Balsam fir grow naturally everywhere here so there will be some regeneration but that's pretty unpredictable. I'll be planting 3000 seedlings each year for the next few years to get started and monitor regeneration as we go. The biggest challenge we will have is knocking back hardwoods that were cut - lots of spraying involved! The cost breakdown was very helpful, especially the spray and fertilizing even if just a ballpark idea. This is the most detailed breakdown I've seen to date - well done and thank you for sharing! Good luck with the 2022 growing season!

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Thank you and good luck. You probably will have an extra expense transitioning from the existing woods to tree farm.

[@zkkmb4191]

Update us

[@shanedecoste6395]

@@zkkmb4191Hi there. If this comment was meant for me here is a quick update. I’ve now planted 8000 Nova Scotia Balsam Fir where natural regeneration was light. I’ve started to shear some of the regeneration as it gets large enough. Controlling hardwood with spraying once a year has worked. It probably amounts to a cost of $750 CAD per year to cover the 20 acres for labour and supplies. Hope that helps.

[@shakysugars]

Should add rabbits to the farm and use that for fertilizer to cut costs?

[@oldvintageflavor]

Just curious, I grew up with a Barry who owns Kraxberger Christmas tree farm and boxwood. Is this the same Barry you are speaking of?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

No this is a different Barry. His first tree farm was with me.

[@rianwilson5810]

Thanks for this. My family and I are thinking of buying a property up here in washington to start tree farm. This definitely puts things into perspective.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Glad you enjoyed and good luck on your tree farm. What part of the state are you moving to?

[@rianwilson5810]

@@FlanaganHomestead we are up in graham not to far from puyallup.

[@douglasthompson9482]

Trees in my area cost 90-120 retail. I am now planting twenty trees for just myself and family. They are pricing themselves out of business.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Don’t forget the hours of work put in and the years of waiting for the trees.

[@spoolinsvt6489]

Been interested in a tree farm since I was kid working on my uncles during Christmas time. Been doing a lot of research and looking up the last couple of weeks and your videos are very helpful. I saw in another reply that you are hoping to do 700-1000 trees in sales in the next few years. My question is, do you sell all of your trees there on your property or have you considered a second site where they are already cut and ready to go or possibly selling to other vendors?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

We currently only sell u cut trees on our farm. We did wholesale a few years early on until we built up our customer base. Now we don’t have enough trees to stay open passed the first week of December. We are not really interested in a stand off site. Lots of setup, trees aren’t as fresh, and if you don’t sell a tree it goes to waste. The trees on the farm just grow another year if they aren’t sold.

[@spoolinsvt6489]

@@FlanaganHomestead That’s a good point. I guess a second site wouldn’t make sense unless you had a large acre farm with excess trees.

[@MH-qb9ev]

I guess that is about 5-6 hours of labor for your crew for loading day?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

About 7 actually

[@tylerroehler9638]

I am curious to how many trees you are planting per year as well as how many acres you are working. My family has been growing trees for nearly 40 years but closed this year due to family health reasons. However, I am looking at possibly taking over and have enjoyed your videos.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

We only have 5 or six acres of trees. The amount we plant varies from year to year based on many factors that include:how many were harvested last year. How many died off, and are we expanding the field. We went from under planted a few years ago and are in catch up mode. The last few years we have been averaging about 2000. If we get our fields rotating the way we hope in the future we hope to havest 700 to a 1000 trees a year. With that and culling out and die off we will probably plant about 1000 to 1500 a year.

[@evianoc]

where did you get your seedlings from?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Brooks tree farm near Salem Oregon.

[@stephenjohnston8263]

what part of Washington are you in? I’ve been casually looking at some land and thinking about working a tree farm around a full time career. I’m looking at around 5-10 acres do you think that would be manageable?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

I am in Ridgefield wa. You can do a five acre yours,Ed if you have time and like to work. The first few years are the easiest after planting you have to give the trees a few years to grow before you start shaping them. 10 acres would be hard to keep up with if you have another full time job. However paying for a little labor until you get to harvest is not the end of the world. There is a farm near me that does not shape their trees. Saves a lot of time but not as many people want their trees

[@stephenjohnston8263]

@@FlanaganHomestead awesome thank you for the info!

[@cjluvsreese]

What does it mean to shake the tree?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

We have a machine you put the trunk of the tree in after you cut it down. This machine vibrates the tree violently. We usually do this for about 30 seconds. The shaking causes dead needles, to fall out, along with leaves from other trees, or bugs or anything that doesn’t belong there.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Here is a link to a 15 second video of my daughter in law holding a tree that is being shake. kzbin.infovaUlV8I-qh8?si=FKCuz-WrBZ-IinrC

[@joestudnicka9609]

When shereing, do you clean up the trimmings or let them lay?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Just leave them there

[@revopstv]

What about the cost of water? It takes about a quart of water per day for several years. Surely that has to cost something

[@FlanaganHomestead]

We don’t water our Christmas trees. God waters them all the way through June here then they start to go into their dormant period.

[@tomsampson8084]

I wish you would respond to one of my comments. I was in this business many years ago and I know there are different issues these days. I farmed in Michigan but I lived in Oregon for a few years. I don't know why you are using fertilizer since you have to shear them back every year. You definitely don't need irrigation. Your costs are all labor. I see you posted a photo of your crew with 7 people and you were hoping to sell 200 trees. Unless that is all family you have to many employees. Your prices are fine but your costs are just too high. I can't imagine you are really making any money. Labor costs are what kill a business like yours (mine). I was lucky enough to work with a core group comprised of 4. We worked a 90 acre farm and ran retail lots. We only hired temporary help when we really needed them. We did not do a U-cut back then (I later wanted to when I was in Oregon). I'm just saying that you seem like a good guy. I think I have some ideas that might help.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Thanks for your concern and thoughts. To make things a little clearer. We are short on trees this year and did not have quite as large of a crew. We do still have a large customer base so we sold our 200 trees in 2 days. At $85 a piece 200 trees comes to $17,000 dollars that does not all go to the crew. Also we have chosen to not become rich and hire more young men than absolutely needed making for a more enjoyable season. Many of the crew are my sons and nephews. I don’t mind them getting a share of the profits. Also fertilizing is. It that expensive but it does help the trees get to height sooner and also a richer green. Thanks for commenting. Love to hear any more insights you might have.

[@kevin10144]

any nursery you would recommend? looking to get 1300 nobles, i'm going to till strips to plant them and keep grass i can mow in-between the rows

[@FlanaganHomestead]

I usually get my nobles from Brooks tree farm near Salem Oregon. Ask if they have any elite orchard seedlings left.

[@jbrew83]

Thanks for the info Rob. First year tree farmer here! Looking at Grand Firs for year two, any recommendations? I keep striking out on suppliers

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Where are you located

[@jbrew83]

@@FlanaganHomestead out of Ohio

[@dboutdoors06]

Great information!!! Is there a special liability insurance for tree farms?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

We do have an extra million dollars of insurance on the property due to the farm. I don’t have that info on me right now.

[@markbelz3691]

Do you have deer damage.

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Unfortunately yes. Even with dogs on the property.

[@OscarstacyPretty]

I'm back

[@wilbertdean8148]

Hey Rob, I live in the Bahamas. How well do trees take the heat? Is there any variants I should try in particular?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Wow, Bahamas. I don’t think any varieties I grow would work down there. Does anyone else grow Christmas trees down there? If so copy those that are having success otherwise try the trees that are grown in the Southeast.

[@mikekeith8668]

Maybe mimic the Florida Christmas tree farms. Leiland cypress and slash pines.

[@wilbertdean8148]

@@FlanaganHomestead We import all Christmas trees.

[@MiguelOchoa-sb5bg]

is the spread sheet available

[@jenniferhoffman1146]

How are your fuel costs figured in?

[@FlanaganHomestead]

That is a good question. When growing the trees I only turn on a gas engine a few days. To spray the trees for aphids with a backpack blower I only use 1/10 gallon per acre. 1500 trees per acre. When spraying herbicide my quad uses less than a quarter gallon per acre. Negligible cost. Harvest days we may run through a few gallons a day. So you could add in a little to total cost. The most gas I would use is running errands around town and picking up supplies.

[@cryptohulkhogan6088]

Where do I get the seedlings from???

[@FlanaganHomestead]

Find a local nursery in your area that sells seedlings. I get most of mine from Brooks tree farm in Salem Oregon

[@cryptohulkhogan6088]

@@FlanaganHomestead thank you for the reply!!

[@omkarkanchan9918]

Hi sir I want to christmas tree seed plz reply me

[@FlanaganHomestead]

How can I help you

[@OscarstacyPretty]

More like my money

[@OscarstacyPretty]

Give me a sec kay