Part 2 Christmas tree farming: questions, answers, comments
Okay friends today this is part two of Christmas tree questions and answers if You didn't see part one go back to the Channel and look it up Yes I am standing on a stool for this One because I wanted to get the merry Christmas sign uh above the door but uh One more really simple suggestion but You should have measuring polls out at Your farm so that people can measure uh Their trees everybody that goes out There to pick up a tree picks a tree That's bigger than they can get in their House well not everybody but a lot of People especially uh beginners to buying For their own home out in the field they Look smaller than they actually are you Know a lot of people have eight foot Ceilings or whatever they need to get a Tree that will be under an eight foot Ceiling so what we do is to help people Out as we get a measuring pool and we Like to buy a PVC pipe because they're It's cheap light and a little bit Flexible as opposed to a stick that Might you know if someone runs it up Against a tree might snap it break it But uh even little kids can carry around A 10 foot PVC pipe and then what we do Is you know if you just stand up it's 10 Feet tall and then we take electrical Tape of different colors and the top Foot we put in one color and then we Fill in the next foot in another color
And the next one in another color and we Just say hey every change of color is a Foot you know if you need an eight foot Tree you got to get those top two colors Off you know it needs to be under those And a measuring pole not everybody wants To use them but it is something that Gets used every year you're like hey do You have something measuring well yes we Do and it's really light and flexible It's not gonna rot out in the field or You know Decay so anyway get a PVC 10 Foot PVC pipe make a measuring pool on It with different types of numbers make Colors that people can see from the Ground Another question I'm always going to ask Is Rob what's the future Market of real Christmas trees uh a lot of people are Asking this because the price has gone Up a lot lately I think that's going to Level off some but uh also uh the Shortage of Christmas trees has pushed a Lot of people to fake Christmas trees And uh We're uh you know the part of that is The fake Christmas trees are getting a Little bit better looking they're not The real thing but uh you know and then People a lot of people don't want to put Out the energy to go out to a farm pick Up a tree uh put it up take it down and I get oh I gotta vacuum needles I was Like are you kidding me how lazy are you
You know I mean I mean you clean up After Christmas anyway and you vacuum The floor you can vacuum up a few Needles but uh anyway buy one of my Trees and you won't have a lot of Needles down on the ground anyway but uh Anyway so I I do believe there will Continue to be a market for uh real Christmas trees uh you need to have a Quality tree and you need to have a Quality experience I think the Experience is going to be a key for a Successful uh Christmas tree Farmers Okay the tree is still the single most Important thing but the Christmas tree Experience a lot of people that live in Cities now like to get out you know they Go get their pumpkins at Halloween and They like to go get their feet dirty and Get a pumpkin out there and then they Want to come out to the farm and they Get out of the city and go get a little Bit dirty put a little effort into it And get a Christmas tree I think there Will always be a demand for that but the Ones that have the experience A a more overall experience are they Going to be the ones that thrive so some Of the things that people love at our uh Christmas tree farm is when we give free Hot chocolate I know a lot of people Charge for that but uh they like the Free hot chocolate and candy canes and It's just a gesture of friendship and
You're welcoming welcoming them and they Like that I could make more money Selling it but you know I'm gonna sell a Hundred dollar Christmas tree to them They can have a cup of hot chocolate for Free the other thing is our petting zoo Is really popular Um you know if I breed my goats at the Right time then I have baby goats in There that they can't feed but they can Touch and play with and then People love pigs if you have a small pig In the petting zoo they just love that So that's a couple different things in a Fireplace uh our fire pit I know some People are nervous about liabilities but A fire pit seems to be something that Creates a better experience even when It's a small percentage of people that Actually stop by the fire I think just Seeing a lot of people walk by a comment And enjoy it and and just a little bit Of smoke wafting up and knowing that There's a chance for warmth those types Of things people really enjoy now we Also will help cut the tree for people Hauled out shake it if we get too much Larger we can't do that for everyone but Uh you know those are things that people Like so you give a good experience uh They'll do that you know different People if you watch uh Phil Woods on Woods Tree Farm you know he had a video Just recently on different things that
He does to uh Make it a good experience for the people And and Tony Stefani of Hillside Christmas Tree farms on his YouTube Channel those are two guys that have YouTube channels I don't know them Personally but uh they're Christmas tree Brothers I believe they're good guys I Like what they're putting out uh but They've done videos on what they try to Do to create a good environment and a Good experience for their farmer so you Should probably check out their videos As well one thing I forgot to add about The friendly environment is having Things for sale we don't have a lot of Products I've made some you know wood Round Snowman and different things and They sell really quickly but we're more Focused on the Christmas trees and so we Have had in the past when we were busier We weren't short of trees let people set Up in the barn we have another barn There that's not for Christmas tree Sales set up and there was a local uh Craftsman that turned bull uh Woodlands Bowls that were absolutely stunning and People like that and people keep coming Fast and do you have anyone in the barn This year this is that because they Enjoy shopping for Christmas trees Seeing handcrafted objects I I just Bought a planer last week for one of my Projects that my wife asked me to do I'm
A woodworker myself but the guy I was Saying what are you doing in your little Wood shop here and he was making trivets About yay big round circles and he they Looked like intricate paintings except He was cutting them out with scroll saws Different designs and they were just Magnificent and he was like I'm selling These for like 35 bucks I'm like really How long does this take you I'm looking At the intricate work that's done he Goes oh it takes me about 10 hours I'm Like you're putting 10 hours into it and You're selling for 35 bucks he said you Know he's a retired guy and he says I Just want to get enough wood to make Some more and maybe have a couple bucks Like well this is amazing so when I got Home actually after buying the planer And set it up I called him back and I Said hey if you want to sell what you Have and if you make them smaller like Christmas tree ornaments and if you Brought those out to the farm I promise You they would sell really big so he Said well he thanked me and he said oh Think about it and let call me again Next fall and we'll see where we're at But uh having that handcrafted objects On the farm seem to create the Atmosphere especially for the whites and Just like well a lot of it's for the Wives let's be honest uh you know uh we The one thing that's specifically for
The guys is the fire pit I don't know How many times the husbands come in and They're like yeah you just it's your Tree you tell me what you want I'll be Right here by the fire but uh that Doesn't usually go over very well they Ended up going out there and helping her Pick the tree because it's supposed to Be a family event so one more thing I Forgot to mention about the fake Christmas trees this is kind of funny at Least I hope you think of funny so I Teach Horticulture and one of the things That I have my kids do as a weekly Journal and they have to have come up With five things that they learned that Week either I said or we did it in a Project and just Journal things that They learned that week and uh after at The start of this month as we started Talking more about Christmas trees Because it's appropriate this time of Year I was reading the classes journal And over 50 percent of the kids put in Their If your parents buy a fake Christmas Tree they don't really love you and so That is obviously something I had Jokingly been expressing to my kids your Parents don't love you if you bought They buy a fake Christmas tree and Obviously I'd said it more than once Because as I was going through the Journal notes the most consistent theme
In there is parents who buy a fake Christmas tree don't really love their Kids so at least I'm glad I can teach America's youth something important we Don't sell smaller trees cheaper Especially right now because right now We're on a shortage of trees and people Like I only want a four or five foot Tree and I said you don't want to buy it Here because all of our trees are the Same price and I said well why are you Doing that and they said well if you Take a four or five foot Noble this year And want to pay only fifty dollars for It in two or three years that's going to Be a hundred dollar tree and we're sort Of in inventory as we get uh our younger Trees growing up and have more we might Start selling more smaller trees at a Lower price but one thing I am Considering doing is taking some of our Rows and double planting them and then Marking every other one designated as a To cut for a small a tabletop tree or Whatnot you know you buy the seedling For less than a dollar you get them in There in the ground you grow them for a Few years you cut them out before they Crowd each other out I could do this With a several varieties but you know I Could get a dug fur to grow three or Four feet in just a couple years and get That out get a few bucks and it's not Crowding out to the tree so that's
Another thing we're doing is it doesn't Considering designate a couple rows to Over plant but just know whether they Sell or not every other tree has to come Out in a few years so there's the cliff Notes version on some of the topics and Questions that have been coming up I do Have some longer videos on some of these Topics and my Christmas tree list on my YouTube channel so feel free to Look at those also if you have any other Questions that you'd like answered that I could try to answer I'd love to hear Them in the comments and many of you Christmas tree Farmers that are viewing These and you have knowledge or good Ideas please share them with us so I can Learn as well as my other viewers and You know thank you for those of you that Have commented uh to me and even some of You even called me personally and said Thanks for doing the videos we really Appreciate we're learning a lot uh one Of my main Love Languages is words of Affirmation and I try to be a helpful Guy and so I I when people say thank you We really appreciate it it does mean a Lot to me so uh anyway thanks for Joining me on the Flanagan Homestead Where Christmas trees are my business Teaching including Horticulture is my Job and outdoor projects are my passion Hope to see you again soon be blessed Everyone and Merry Christmas
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