The wet conditions this spring caused concern for Christmas tree growers. Unable to work on waterlogged fields, growers feared that the crop might suffer. Despite these worries, the industry seems to have emerged unscathed. Growers believe that thereshould be a bumper harvest, good supplies of trees and that prices should be stable.The wet spring made it impossible to plant trees until relatively late in the season. Christopher Hood MD at major supplier Needlefresh, explained: 'In Scotland they couldn't plant until May, but overall we managed to plant in reasonable time.' John Osborne, owner of Osborne Trees based near Glastonbury, commented: 'We use bare root trees, which are about 40cm tall and plant around 4,000 trees an acre. We only finished the planting at the end of May' However growers are confident that the late plantingwill not affect the trees' development. He said that very few trees had failed: 'At present the only problem is deer and rabbits,but we've put fences to control them,' he said.The wet weather has created other challenges. Rob Morgan, owner of Welsh firm Gower Fresh Christmas Trees, explained: 'It's been very difficult to move tractors. That means we've had trouble weeding.' Across the industry, most of the weeding is done mechanically, with tractors simply cutting down growth between trees. John Osborne said: 'Much of our weeding is outstanding. We haven't been able to do it.' However he has tried to restrict growth with smaller mowers and herbicides.
展开▼
