Ace Breaking News – Nothing says Christmas more than a decorated Christmas tree. Of course, many fake trees are dragged out year on year.
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But for many the trek to the nearest Christmas tree farm to choose a tree is as much a part of the holiday season as Christmas dinner for young and old alike.
Although this year even Christmas trees are doing it tough.
Christmas tree farmer Ziggy Kominek said he typically sold between 3,000 to 6,000 trees a year, depending on the demand and the weather conditions, but sales are down.
“This year has been slow, I think people are really feeling the pinch and we are about 1,000 [or] 1,500 trees less than last year at this point,” Mr Kominek said.
Growing and choosing the perfect tree
At Mr Kominek’s farm in southern New South Wales, just outside Canberra, customers wander the rows of pines looking for the perfect specimen.
Student Midgi, who helped her family choose this year’s tree, said there are key characteristics to look for.
“A good Christmas tree is nicely shaped, got the triangle shape, nice and tall, and we always like it when there’s no gaps or anything,” Midgi said.
But getting a tree in perfect shape is a long and labour-intensive process, over several years.
“First of all the soil has to be prepared and then we plant it,” Mr Kominek said.
“Then we do what’s called the handles, and we prune every branch and every needle off the bottom of the tree, as you can see under these trees, so we can put the tree into a stand at Christmas time when we cut it down.
“After two-and-a-half years we start pruning them twice a year with a big slashing knife, its a cross between a samurai sword and a machete, and we cut the tips off the trees to thicken them up.”
A decorated tree from Mr Kominek’s farm. (ABC News)normal
‘Exceptionally good’ growing conditions
This year’s trees have been growing for six years.
One of the problems is that the trees grow at different rates.
“If you look here [high on the slope] they are mainly the same size, but as you go lower down the hill they are smaller,” Mr Kominek said.
“On the slopes, they like water, but they also like a dry period.”
This means that when it rains the trees lower down sit in the water for longer, stalling their growth.
Mr Kominek said it had been a great year for growing trees.
“This year has been exceptionally good,” Mr Kominek said.
“Last year was dismal, really dismal, we sold out and we didn’t sell to any wholesalers last year just our Canberra customers.
“But this year we’ve got plenty of trees, and no customers or relatively few customers, that’s the way it is.”
Reserved trees are padlocked to prevent theft. (ABC News: Simon Beardsell)normal
While most people are prepared to wander through the trees on the day, some like to get in early to reserve a tree.
Those trees are marked out with tape, and a chain and padlock is attached to the base to prevent theft.
As this year’s Christmas tree trade reaches its zenith, Mr Kominek said he is still yet to choose his own tree, opting to wait until closer to the big day.
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