Sholach Christmas Trees is a family-run business in Scotland – with everything from young saplings planted this year to 18ft trees planted back in the 90s.
It was established in 1994 and its plantation lies in rural Perthshire, around one of the many lochs in the Lunan Valley area, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Kelly McIntyre, who took over the business from her father, says the busiest time for the business depends on which day Christmas falls on.
Kelly said: “It sounds weird because usually the first and second weekend of December is the most manic.
”But because Christmas Day falls on a Monday this year – we might still have some stragglers who think ‘Oh gosh it’s Christmas let’s get a tree’, the weekend before.
“It is mixed because some come to us this weekend – they want the perfect tree and so wish to choose it before anyone else and want to be ready as soon as December comes.
“For most people, it’s a tradition and they come with family, it’s nice to see.”
On average, most people want a six-foot-tall tree – which takes between six and 10 years to grow.
Kelly says the penultimate week of November – is the ‘worst’ in terms of stress for her employees.
Kelly explained: “This is the lead-up week – its the worst one because we are all rushing around making sure we have got everything sorted.
“We have six employees – and every family member kicking and screaming!”
The journey of how Sholach gets the trees ready for customers is a lengthy and complex process.
First, the business buys their young trees from a reputable nursery and leaves them to grow for a couple of years.
Then, Kelly says they hand prune every tree “to enhance the density and shape of the trees”.
Every year in June, ‘bud rubbing’ also takes place – which is the practice of pruning stray shoots, helping the trees to grow bushier and in proportion.
Then there is the marking and grading of trees ready for the harvest during November – or sometimes earlier but it depends on demand.
The business also practices sustainability by planting more trees than they cut each year, working with the local environment to create wildlife habitats that increase biodiversity, and using oxo bio-degradable netting to net the trees.
Kelly added: “The harvest period is very intense, often in bad weather but we like to think of it as character building!”
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
