The young trees we plant in our plots are between 3 and 4 years old. We work with the best European nurseries, in Belgium, Germany, Denmark or France, in order to have quality plants every year.
Our outdoor planting is carried out using a high-tech planting machine: thanks to GPS, the plants are planted with a precision of less than 2cm, equidistant from each other, which on the one hand limits competition between the plants and on the other hand helps the harmonious development of the fir tree. On the other hand, this precision planting is a prerequisite for the mechanical maintenance of the plots, which we are increasingly favouring. Container grown firs are planted in pots and these are then semi-buried in the plots. The cultivation method is similar to that of the cuttings.
Throughout its growth, the fir trees are given a lot of care
It is up to us to protect them, against pests, insects or game, against competition from weeds, against birds that can damage young shoots…
We also need to correct defects or damage that may be caused by hail or frost. And quite simply, to accompany the natural growth of the tree by pruning it regularly in order to have homogeneous and well-proportioned batches: basal pruning, formation pruning, correction pruning, pruning with secateurs, with machetes…
Each situation has its own intervention, so each year, from January to June, more than 60 people survey the plots one after the other, line by line, pruning shears in hand. An 8-year-old tree will have undergone more than 70 maintenance operations and sequestered an average of 18kg of CO2!
At the beginning of August, as soon as the annual growth of the trees ends, we begin a long process of labelling the trees to be harvested. Each tree is individually selected according to the size and quality criteria demanded by our customers.
To guarantee their freshness and quality, our Christmas trees are cut according to a strict cutting plan. This plan is drawn up according to the delivery requirements of our customers. The time needed to prepare the cut products is a minimum of 7 days before delivery.
Cut or grown in pots, Greencap’s trees are individually net-packed to protect them and facilitate their transport. This step is done directly in the field. Pruning of the feet, netting, delivery in rolls, in boxes, on pallets, order preparation (picking), we adapt our harvesting and packaging process according to the customer’s requirements.
At the height of the season, on each of our sites, more than 15,000 trees are thus cut, packed and shipped every day.
