A typical 6 to 7 feet high Christmas tree can take between 10 and 12 years to grow.
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, "It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6-7 feet) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years." Read on for a roundup of Christmas trees that grow in the South, listed by typical growing speeds from fast to slow.
The exact time it will take you to grow a tree is very difficult to estimate, it depends on a lot of variables. For example the species of the tree you are growing and the climate of the region you are in. However, it is safe to say that it usually takes about 6-10 years on average for a tree to grow 7ft tall.
Just as Santa begins wrapping presents long before the big day, so the hard work involved in producing that aromatic centrepiece of many homes throughout the country takes dedication. But it's not just 12 months of meticulous care – the average 6ft Christmas tree takes between six and 10 years to grow.
He added: “A Nordmann fir is classed as a slow-growing tree. For each foot of tree, the grower has cared for it for just over a year. A typical 6ft tree will take from six to eight years to grow, depending on where the plantation is in the country.
As a rule, cypress and cedar trees are the fastest growing Christmas tree varieties. Specifically Leyland Cypress and Eastern Redcedar. Both of these varieties can grow from a seedling to a height of 5–7 feet in 5 years with careful cultivation. These species are best suited for warm regions.
This is one of the most popular sizes of Christmas tree, as it will fit easily into the average family home. But how long does it take for a Christmas tree to reach this size? Fast-growing varieties may reach 5 feet in just four years after being planted out as a sapling.
A healthy, fresh-cut Christmas tree will last for four to five weeks if properly cared for. If you're itching to put up your holiday decorations earlier, start with non-living decorations whenever you like, and finish off with fresh greenery and your Christmas tree around the first of December.
Trees rated as fast growing were at least 25 feet tall after 10 years. These included the American Elm (Ulmus americana), Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum), and the Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). Moderately fast growing trees measured 18 to 25 feet tall.
The average evergreen pine takes over about 11 years to grow to 6 feet and requires repeated shearing to keep its picturesque look. Once a crop is prepped for market, they'll sell out in a matter of weeks.
“It would be very difficult to jump into an existing Christmas tree farm without training,” said Fox. While the long rotation period for Christmas trees might seem to take some pressure off, there's little time to be wasted during the decade it takes to grow a Christmas tree.
Colorado Blue Spruce
As the name implies, it's found in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and the surrounding states, but it adapts well to many soils and climates. It grows at a rate of 1 – 2 feet per year, and requires little or no pruning to attain the perfect Christmas tree shape.
Fraser Fir is Slow Growing
Fraser fir only puts on one flush of growth each year. In an outdoor nursery bed, it can take five years to progress from seed to a one-foot-tall transplant that is large enough to survive in a Christmas tree field.
Growth Rate
This tree grows at a slow rate, with height increases of less than 12" per year.
If you pick a healthy tree then it should last for around four-six weeks – which will see you comfortably through the festive period. This means that you won't want to put it up too early, as you'll run the risk that it'll have shed all its needles and be looking a bit sorry for itself by Christmas Day.
According to a Q&A on Gardens Alive, 7UP is the “best addition” to watering your tree and should be added, along with water, every few days. “It really helps preserve the tree,” the post says.
Watering your Christmas Tree:
A freshly-cut six-to-seven foot tree can take in over a quart of water a day. The water basin of the stand should be sufficiently large that the very bottom of the tree will always remain immersed in water. “A tree can't be overwatered,” John says.
Answer: The world's slowest growing tree is a White Cedar, located in Canada. After 155 years, it has grown to a height of 4 inches and weighs only 6/10th of an ounce. The tree can be found on a cliff side in the Canadian Great Lakes area.
In tropical climates with warm weather and a plentiful water supply, a tree can become fully grown in 30 years. A tree in cooler regions may take several hundred years to reach full maturity depending upon the tree species.
There are reports of Christmas trees exceeding 100m in height, but in recent years, the tallest Christmas tree recorded was a Douglas Fir that was a staggering 62m in 2005. The species can grow to 75m in height.
This all needs to be done a year (or years) in advance. Grass is planted in the fall, and the trees get planted in early spring. From there, it takes about 6-8 years for the trees to grow to a marketable height.
The world's tallest cut Christmas tree was a 67.36 m (221 ft) Douglas fir (Pseudotsga menziesii) erected and decorated at Northgate Shopping Center, Seattle, Washington, USA, in December 1950.