Pretty much exactly how I try to shear. I am glad to see I am not the only one to leave a “just in case” second leader occasionally on a weak or floppy leader. Usually that means a robin will land on one and break it off. Great video.
We never sheared for till August , we had plenty of Scotch, white , and Norway pine plus spruce to shear before that. The leader you chose then was near hardened. Many of the fir plantations receiving their first shear were done after the seasons harvest was cut, baled and loaded in November.
@@Hillsidechristmastreefarm I hesitate because living in KS will be difficult. We typically struggle for rain in the summer & it is in the 100's for weeks at a time. I will say I know of farms that do it.
One thing I would do if I was growing in a field like yours- (we grow in the Forrest in Nova Scotia) is I would try really hard to Mimic nature. I would mulch very heavily. I would grab leave matter that people throw out and add them to the fields. One thing we don’t have to do is tie up the tops, they just naturally grow straight so I’m thinking it might be a water thing .. I’m happy you are doing videos though. I haven’t sheared since I was 14 so needed some refreshers..
I'm glad you found the video. I think that once you cut a leader that natural dominance is gone and every branch wants to be the new leader. I'm going to try leaving them alone where possible
Tony, it would be great to have a video on just equipment - like those pants with the pouch on the left shin - where are those from?! Love the content, very informative.
Thanks for the thought Ryan. These pants I actually found at Meijer. Caterpillar makes them they are very nice and were on sale for like $30. I swear I buy more clothes for the farm than I do anything else
And you did!!! Thanks! ruclips.net/video/xu2xoPWloao/видео.html I’ve gotten behind and need to do some winter pruning… if you need another topic for a video 😁
Thanks for the idea. I will do this, we don’t share the trees the year of harvest, this way you don’t see the knife ends and gives customers a place to hang their ordainments. So trees that weren’t sold needed to be done before they grow. Thanks for the tip.
I noticed you leave the bamboo stakes on the trees as you make your way down the row. Do you just go back over to cut them out later? I considered leaving mine on but I don't know if they would "pop" off on their own but I worry that they could negatively affect the way the tree grows if they don't release. Why do I enjoy watching other people shear their trees even though I have a few thousand to do of my own? LOL
They’re still tapped on the main stem of the tree. Usually I’ll leave them for next year and as I’m tapening the new growth I can either pull them up id the tree needs it or remove them if they don’t. Hope that makes sense
I'm sorry Lisa I never responded to you until now!!. Those are actually Milk Weeds. There are a lot of them as you pointed out. They are a weed that is hard to control, but they are also great for pollinators, monarchs especially, so we don't mind them.
@@Hillsidechristmastreefarm awesome! I can see now. The pods. I transplanted some milk weed last fall. I hope some will come up again. I had a great year with monarchs. I have butterfly weed, the orange flowered plant. The caterpillars ate the leaves. One made a chrysalis on my house and became a butterfly. It was awesome.
Thanks for the comment. We have a lot of hand clippers, I like the ARS both the needle nose type and larger set. I usually get the fixed blade ones and just replace and sharpen as needed. ARS Needle trimmer amzn.to/3VomFI0 ARS hand shear: amzn.to/3XoJu11 A lot of farmers also use a Felco #6 amzn.to/4ba2Gm5. I think the felco shears a large bulky, i like a smaller set. and nothing I'm cutting when shearing is very big. I hope this helps
In Michigan we start our firs towards mid to late July. Once the tops start to harden a little bit. If you try too early the new growth will just break off and not really cut. It will also feel very soft against your blade. Hope this answers your question.
Thanks for the comment. Fir have a large trimming window. They can be trimmed from the time they're done growing until the following spring when they begin their next growing cycle. The best time to shear them is when the new growth is beginning to turn woody. Where I am in Michigan this is usually Late August into September. Hope this helps, Thanks for watching
5' minimum before ever touching a knife to any fir. That and weed control under skirt . Sick of seeing growers prematurely beating on fir before it's 5' , just foolish. Not to mention them shearing them into rockets and not Christmas trees. I and my brother ran a shearing crew of all white boys shearing over a million trees every year. Torn rotator cuff ended my shearing.
This was probably the first year they saw a knife and yes I feel shaping them into rockets is setting that foundation for the next couple years. Here is a more recent video taken in this field. ruclips.net/video/Odb_MO2IVBU/видео.html we will be opening that field up for cutting this season. That's quire the shearing crew, sorry to hear about your shoulder.
Pretty much exactly how I try to shear. I am glad to see I am not the only one to leave a “just in case” second leader occasionally on a weak or floppy leader. Usually that means a robin will land on one and break it off. Great video.
Thanks Alan. Yea. It’s a bit to early to say he’s safe haha
We never sheared for till August , we had plenty of Scotch, white , and Norway pine plus spruce to shear before that. The leader you chose then was near hardened. Many of the fir plantations receiving their first shear were done after the seasons harvest was cut, baled and loaded in November.
Once again, enjoyed watching. After watching, I feel like I have an idea what to look for. I have no Firs and just Scotch Pine right now.
I would suggest in growing some fir. They are very popular. I’ve stopped planing pine.
@@Hillsidechristmastreefarm I hesitate because living in KS will be difficult. We typically struggle for rain in the summer & it is in the 100's for weeks at a time. I will say I know of farms that do it.
Watkins Tree Farm - Hobbs Creek Country Life ahh I see. What about the cypress verity?
One thing I would do if I was growing in a field like yours- (we grow in the Forrest in Nova Scotia) is I would try really hard to Mimic nature. I would mulch very heavily. I would grab leave matter that people throw out and add them to the fields. One thing we don’t have to do is tie up the tops, they just naturally grow straight so I’m thinking it might be a water thing .. I’m happy you are doing videos though. I haven’t sheared since I was 14 so needed some refreshers..
I'm glad you found the video. I think that once you cut a leader that natural dominance is gone and every branch wants to be the new leader. I'm going to try leaving them alone where possible
I love that you leave the milkweed
Thanks, I'm hoping to save some seed pods and plant a wildflower area by the pond next year.
Tony, it would be great to have a video on just equipment - like those pants with the pouch on the left shin - where are those from?!
Love the content, very informative.
Thanks for the thought Ryan. These pants I actually found at Meijer. Caterpillar makes them they are very nice and were on sale for like $30. I swear I buy more clothes for the farm than I do anything else
And you did!!! Thanks!
ruclips.net/video/xu2xoPWloao/видео.html
I’ve gotten behind and need to do some winter pruning… if you need another topic for a video 😁
Thanks for the idea. I will do this, we don’t share the trees the year of harvest, this way you don’t see the knife ends and gives customers a place to hang their ordainments. So trees that weren’t sold needed to be done before they grow. Thanks for the tip.
I noticed you leave the bamboo stakes on the trees as you make your way down the row. Do you just go back over to cut them out later? I considered leaving mine on but I don't know if they would "pop" off on their own but I worry that they could negatively affect the way the tree grows if they don't release. Why do I enjoy watching other people shear their trees even though I have a few thousand to do of my own? LOL
They’re still tapped on the main stem of the tree. Usually I’ll leave them for next year and as I’m tapening the new growth I can either pull them up id the tree needs it or remove them if they don’t. Hope that makes sense
I’m in Nova Scotia and trying to manage our Tree farm until one of my kids can take over.
Thanks for the comment. Check out the "Our story" playlist to learn about us!! ruclips.net/p/PLNhQFWOqRSXIshxxQDTs3nCSGIcaqSfJV
What are the plants I kept seeing that like to keep growing right up next to the trees?
I'm sorry Lisa I never responded to you until now!!. Those are actually Milk Weeds. There are a lot of them as you pointed out. They are a weed that is hard to control, but they are also great for pollinators, monarchs especially, so we don't mind them.
@@Hillsidechristmastreefarm awesome! I can see now. The pods. I transplanted some milk weed last fall. I hope some will come up again. I had a great year with monarchs. I have butterfly weed, the orange flowered plant. The caterpillars ate the leaves. One made a chrysalis on my house and became a butterfly. It was awesome.
what brand of hand clippers do you use?
Thanks for the comment. We have a lot of hand clippers, I like the ARS both the needle nose type and larger set. I usually get the fixed blade ones and just replace and sharpen as needed. ARS Needle trimmer amzn.to/3VomFI0 ARS hand shear: amzn.to/3XoJu11
A lot of farmers also use a Felco #6 amzn.to/4ba2Gm5. I think the felco shears a large bulky, i like a smaller set. and nothing I'm cutting when shearing is very big. I hope this helps
What time of year is best for pruning these trees?
In Michigan we start our firs towards mid to late July. Once the tops start to harden a little bit. If you try too early the new growth will just break off and not really cut. It will also feel very soft against your blade. Hope this answers your question.
What time of year is best to do this trimming?
Thanks for the comment. Fir have a large trimming window. They can be trimmed from the time they're done growing until the following spring when they begin their next growing cycle. The best time to shear them is when the new growth is beginning to turn woody. Where I am in Michigan this is usually Late August into September. Hope this helps, Thanks for watching
Lots of milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca L).
I enjoy seeing the butterflies. Not overwhelming yet.
5' minimum before ever touching a knife to any fir. That and weed control under skirt . Sick of seeing growers prematurely beating on fir before it's 5' , just foolish. Not to mention them shearing them into rockets and not Christmas trees. I and my brother ran a shearing crew of all white boys shearing over a million trees every year. Torn rotator cuff ended my shearing.
This was probably the first year they saw a knife and yes I feel shaping them into rockets is setting that foundation for the next couple years. Here is a more recent video taken in this field. ruclips.net/video/Odb_MO2IVBU/видео.html we will be opening that field up for cutting this season. That's quire the shearing crew, sorry to hear about your shoulder.