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How Does a Christmas Tree Grow - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. This is the size of the tree when we buy them from the nurseries to plant on our farm. These are an average of 4 years old when we buy them. Average height 14 to 16 inches tall. We have a tree planter which just kind of opens up the ground, we place a tree in the ground, press the soil back closed, and then they continue growing - we hope! This tree behind me is in its second year of growth. You can see how the new growth we have gotten above there, just a little bit taller. These first years they will average about 6 to 8 inches of growth in their second year here. After that we will probably get 14 to 16 inches in the subsequent years. The trees every year put one stem up the middle. This is called the leader. It is going to be the trunk of the tree, and it adds a set of branches every year. Now in the White Pines we can see how much the tree has grown. It added this set of branches this spring and grew this new leader. The year before it added these branches and grew this leader. The year before that, you can see from this set of branches, the trunk of the tree up to this set of branches. You can see how the tree is growing every year. Now up on the very tip of the top here, the buds are already set. The one bud, the strongest bud right in the center will grow up next spring and be the new leader. I expect about 14 to 16 inches over the year. The buds around the outside are going to form a set of laterals, a set of branches up here. Grow up, and it just does that every year. One thing I had like to point out to people: if there is a dead needle in your tree, that is not a bad thing. Trees shed their needles every year. The needles that are on the interior of the tree, the trees have decided they do not need those needles to continue growing, and it sheds those, usually when the needles are about 3 or 4 years old. Now this time of year especially this tree is filled with dead needles in here. And on the ground a nice solid mat of needles that have dropped over the years. This is a naturally occurring event on all Christmas trees.