 George Itschner, owner of Sun Ridge Tree Farm in Molalla, Ore., has been growing Christmas trees for 25 years and sums up the secret of success: "If you don't have quality, you don't sell trees."
The 53-year-old tree farmer credits well-drained soils, proper soil fertilization and Woodburn Fertilizer for his quality gains over the years. "If you cut back on fertilizer for a couple years you can really tell the difference come harvest."
Itschner, whose 350-acre plantation is planted with 60% Douglas fir, 20% Nobile fir and 20% Grand fir, says he started using K-Mag in 1997 and has never stopped.
"Woodburn's custom blends that include K-Mag have really helped bring out that dark green color buyers are looking for," he notes. "I also think it helps needle drop on Noble fir. Last year, people that didn't fertilize were seeing more of this problem."
Itschner says they're putting on 80,000 lbs of blended fertilizer this year. "At first, the $300 per ton seems like a lot, but when you figure that's only 3oz per tree, you realize it's pennies," he says. "In the long run, it's pretty cheap insurance.
"With a good fertilization program, you're harvesting at least another 10% more quality trees," he says. "At $15 per tree, that adds up to a lot on 350 acres." |
 Gary Snyder, owner of Pacific Trees, Canby, Ore., views his 500-acre Christmas tree operation through the scrutinizing eyes of seasoned buyer. That's because he is a buyer, handling Oregon and Washington purchases for Kirk Company, one of the largest Christmas tree shipping operations in the nation.
"As a buyer, you're always looking for the best tree," he says. "You can tell right away if there's problem. A lot of times it has to do with fertility."
While he relies on the expertise of Woodburn for tree fertilization practices, he admits that he has gleaned additional insights from his "second job."
"I get to see what a lot of other growers are doing," he says. "As I started talking to people, I noted that the custom blends that include K-Mag from Woodburn do a really nice job, and it doesn't waste your money."
"I've even gotten results on Douglas with this mix," he adds. "Nobody used to fertilize Douglas, but now it's definitely in the program. It helps get rid of that yellowish color."
Snyder applies Woodburn's custom blend that includes K-Mag two to three years before harvest, as well as the final year before harvest, to improve color. For fields in their second, third and fourth rotations, he says replenishing the soil is absolutely critical. "What's nice about the custom blend that includes K-Mag is it gets those essential nutrients back into the soil when the tree is growing." |
