Will we all need an artificial Christmas tree in a few years? Possibly yes, because buying a real Christmas tree may become difficult in the coming years. The creep is throwing a spanner in the works of Christmas tree growers. Grubs are the larvae of several species of beetles and attack the roots of Christmas trees.
Christmas tree grower Rien de Jong from Exloo suffers from these larvae. “It is becoming an increasing problem, once you have grubs in your plot, you are too late,” says De Jong.
The cultivation of a Christmas tree takes 6 to 9 years, enough time for the grub to spread in the agricultural land. They are about twenty centimeters deep. The small larvae like soil that is not cultivated much and can remain there for up to three years. “That is why a Christmas tree plot is perfect for these animals,” says De Jong.
The grubs have no natural enemies. Nowadays there are biological means to combat them, but according to De Jong this works superficially. “We have already tried everything, nematodes for example. The problem is that we cannot get the nematodes deep enough into the ground and that it is extremely expensive. With that solution we spend about 1,500 euros per hectare.”
The grubs like dry sandy soil. “So we have ideal soil in Exloo for the animals,” says De Jong. The small larvae are a problem that has plagued Christmas tree growers for the past five years. “We were one of the first nurseries at the Association of Dutch Christmas Tree Growers to suffer from this, but now 60 percent of the nurseries have grub problems.”
The Exloose Christmas tree grower is trying to exchange land with arable farmers so that they can avoid the grubs. “Once you have noticed the grubs, it is too late. You cannot let the Christmas trees continue to grow on a new plot. You always keep a clod of sand on them, because the grubs are already in it,” says De Jong .
Economically it is a blow for the grower. “If you plant 15,000 Christmas trees and more than half of them die after the first year, then it is not possible.” De Jong has experienced this on his old plots, but by exchanging land the damage is currently limited.
The problem with the grub is that the creature can spread quickly. “Your own land may be free of grubs, but if the plot is next to a horse pasture or nature reserve, the animals will soon be back on your own land. Then the whole cycle starts again.”
De Jong is hopeful that an affordable biological agent will be developed in the future that can combat the animals. De Jong is already over the stress phase. “In the beginning I thought a lot about what choices I had to make, which was difficult. I hope I can keep it up for another 5 to 10 years.”