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North Carolina Fraser Fir Schedule for Production
July - September

Note: This calendar is meant as a guide to help you plan your production and marketing practices. Times for scouting, pesticide applications, shearing and planting will vary depending on the season and your location. Not every grower will need to do all of these production and marketing practices. A lot depends on the size of your trees and your choice of ground cover and fertility management. For more information about any of these practices, contact your county extension agent.

JULY

Pest Control: Start scouting trees for balsam woolly adelgid. Look for trees with crooked or flat tops and/or dead shoots and branches. Confirm the presence of the insect by finding the white woolly spots of the adult insect. If found, treat sometime before bud break next year. To avoid injury when treating for balsam woolly adelgid, do not spray during the heat of the day when the temperature + the humidity is greater than 140. Consider adding a miticide to the spray mix if mites are a problem. Be sure to wear all personal protective equipment. Continue scouting for spider mites. If found above treatment thresholds, treat immediately.

Ground Cover Management: Monitor recovery of weeds from the second chemical suppression treatment and determine the need and timing of a possible third treatment. Monitor problem areas with weeds like hedge bindweed more closely. Bindweed could escape earlier treatments by growing through the tree to coil around the top of the tree. Treat if necessary. Another chemical mowing application in late July or early August may be a good idea to keep weed height at less than 24 inches for the remainder of season.

Shearing: Tag go-to-market trees before shearing. However, prune "keepers" before go-to-market trees to take advantage of increased summer budset for next year's growth. Market trees should be lightly sheared for most customers. If tops are not straight, delay pruning terminals until August so that they can continue to straighten.

Marketing: Tagging and inventory begins. Stay in close contact with buyers. Continue advertising. Start making trucking company contacts for shipping season.

AUGUST

Pest Control: Continue scouting for balsam woolly adelgid. If found, treat before bud break the following year. Continue scouting for spider mites. If spider mites are found above treatment thresholds, treat immediately. Scout trees for rosette bud mite damage. In particular, trees between 3-5 ft. need a thorough rosette bud mite assessment. Selectively tag rosette bud trees for early harvest. If level of damage is greater than treatment threshold, plan to treat trees the following year. Fields can be scouted for white grubs in late August where grub damage is suspected because of dying or yellowing young trees. Scout new ground, particularly pasture, for grubs.

Ground Cover Management: Monitor recovery of weeds from the chemical suppression treatment. List beneficial and problem weeds in order of abundance. Determine the need for a spot treatment to kill specific undesirable weed species in September. Map their location. Ground covers can now be mowed without encouraging white grubs.

Shearing: Continue shearing. Trim tops left earlier to straighten.

Marketing: Continue grading and tagging trees.

SEPTEMBER

Pest Control: Continue scouting for balsam woolly adelgid. If found, treat before bud break the following year. Continue scouting for spider mites. If found above treatment thresholds, treat immediately.

Ground Cover Management: Use semi-directed applications of Roundup or Garlon 3A before frost to kill pokeweed, hardwood sprouts, vines and other perennial weeds. Avoid spraying beneficial ground covers with killing rates of herbicide. In young trees, a pre-emergent herbicide may be banded over the tree row to control winter annuals like goldenrod and catchweed bedstraw. Sow clover or rye for ground cover establishment.

Fertility: Take soil and plant tissue samples to determine spring fertility needs. Look for calcium deficiency symptoms in trees and treat with calcium nitrate and/or gypsum, especially in go-to-market trees. Put out fall applications of fertilizer and lime.

Shearing: Lighten up shearing because secondary buds will no longer develop on trees.

Marketing: Firm up contracts with customers. List any extra trees with the NCCTA and NCDA marketing Division. Work on leases, permits, and other details for your retail lots.

The use of brand names and any mention of commercial products or services in this publication do not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned. Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for ensuring that the intended use complies with current regulations and conforms to the product label. Be sure to obtain current information about usage and examine a current product label before applying any chemical. For assistance, contact an agent of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in your county.

Prepared by Jill Sidebottom and Jeff Owen
Area Christmas Tree Specialists
NCSU College of Natural Resources
NC Cooperative Extension Service

Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center
455 Research Drive
Mills River, NC 28759
Phone: 828.684.3562 ~ Fax: 828.684.8715
Email: jill_sidebottom@ncsu.edu
Email: jeff_owen@ncsu.edu

NC State University and NC Cooperative Extension Christmas Tree Website
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Christmastrees/

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Web Crafter: Anne S. Napier and Jill R. Sidebottom
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Updated November 21, 2008