Oh Christmas Tree!

Yikes! Christmas trees seem to fall from the heavens, before you’ve even had a chance to get your Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven! We were away for Thanksgiving and saw truckloads of them traveling around the Wednesday before!

Which type will grace your home this year? How do you choose? Fir and balsam and pine. Oh my. Here is some information to help you make that choice and to keep that fresh tree – and your home – safe during the Holidays.

The first thing I think about is how that tree looks. Aesthetics. Some evergreens hang out through the season better than others. Take a few minutes to consider your choice of tress before choosing the fattest or most fragrant.

What you’ll find out there as popular evergreens:

White Spruce – Similar to the Colorado Blue Spruce. These trees are pretty with a bluish green color. They are native to the Northern US. They hold their needles well but have a rather unpleasant odor when the needles are crushed. Not my first choice.

White Fir – You used to not be able to find White Fir as a Christmas tree, unless you cut your own. These are becoming more popular. They are a blue-green tree with needles around an inch and a half long. They smell great, hold their needles well and are very attractive.

White Pine – These are great trees if you have someone at home who may have an allergic reaction to the more strongly fragranced trees. White Pine has little to none on the fragrance scale. They’re getting harder to find since the tree farmers are having a time keeping them healthy. They are a very full tree.

Norway Spruce – A very pretty tree. Not so much in the area of needle retention.

Balsam or Canaan Fir – These are usually the most reasonable, cost wise and the most commonly found cut tree. They have a silvery cast to their dark green, short, flat needles. They are a long lasting tree and very fragrant, although that fades faster with this variety than with others.

Douglas Fir – Beautiful dark green-blue variety that holds it’s needles and is very fragrant.

Colorado Blue Spruce – The needles on this tree can be so stiff they scratch. If this is your choice, be careful when hauling that tree in from the car! They are beautiful, dark green to a powdery blue and hold their needles well. However, if you keep a warm house – look out! They’ll drop quicker from this type of tree than some of the others.

Scotch Pine – This is one of the most popular trees out there. The branches are stiff with dark green needles. These trees are sturdy, hold their needles for as long as four weeks and usually won’t even drop when they’re dry. Plus, they have a fabulous lasting fragrance.

A few things to consider before you drive off, single mindedly, to BRING HOME A TREE:

* Be sure you know how tall your ceiling is BEFORE you go shopping.
* Know WHERE you’re going to put that tree when you get it home. If one side is going to be against a wall, then – by all means – go for the one that looks incredible from over here, but not so much from over there.
* Be sure to bring a tape measure or yardstick with you.
* If you’re going to a tree farm, bring a few pieces of colored yarn with you to mark your possible choices while shopping the selection. Obviously, green is not a good choice and be sure to remove your markers when you leave.
* Make sure your green has a nice straight base, about 6 inches long, so you can make a fresh cut and still have room to put the tree in the stand.
* Make sure you bring something with you to tie your tree to your vehicle.

Once you get it home THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to keep that tree watered. Seriously. Not watering it will cause it to dry out before it’s time and will make it a fire hazard. Cooler temperatures in your home will also cut back on needle loss. If your tree is going to stay outside for a bit, put it in a bucket of water.

I know this sounds silly, because we all want to put that tree right in our front windows for the whole world to see, but try to keep it away from direct sunlight and sources of heat. Don’t locate your tree over a heater vent if you can possibly avoid it. And putting it near the wood stove? Not a good idea.

If your tree is pre-cut, make a fresh cut at the bottom about one inch up. A nice, clean cut will help your tree absorb more water more readily. Fill the tree stand with lukewarm water after setting your tree in it.

In a heated room, a tree can absorb up to a quart of water a day. Check your tree AT LEAST daily and refill your tree stand often. If your tree loses 20% of it’s moisture content, it won’t recover.

Any tree will burn if it comes in contact with fire. Christmas trees become a fire hazard when their moisture content falls below 50%. That means your lights could set your tree on fire.

Don’t forget to recycle your cut tree. You could have it collected and converted to mulch. You could use it as a temporary bird refuge and feeder in your yard (be sure to take off the tinsel, if you used any). You could also cut off the branches and use them to protect perennials in your garden.
My personal preference in a Christmas tree: A LIVE one! You can plant that tree on your property after the Holidays are long gone.

Points to ponder:
What type of tree do you want on your property? Dwarf evergreens may be a better choice for a small yard. Maybe a yew, juniper or even a holly tree.
Mature size, color and texture.
Growth rate and mature height and width.
Firs are excellent cut trees, but might not like growing conditions in your yard.
Pines are good Christmas trees, but get really huge.
What grows well here? White and Scotch pines are nice, but White pines are currently suffering from decline. Norway Spruce might have issues with drying out while it’s in the house.
Don’t select the largest tree. Smaller trees should be in better proportion to the size of the root ball and stand a better chance of survival. Whatever variety you choose, consider trees recently dug, were container grown and they need to look healthy. A bargain leftover tree may be in a stressed condition and not recover.

Caring for your live tree:
* Store the tree in a cool area.
* Make sure the root ball does not dry out.
* Keep your live tree away from radiators, vents or fireplaces.
* Will do best at around 60 to 65 degrees.
* Keep your tree indoors for as brief a time as possible; generally not more than two weeks.

Digging the hole. The fun part, right? Riiiiight. Dig your hole ahead of time, if you can, otherwise you might be digging through snow and ice. The depth of the hole should be the measurement from the bottom of the root ball to the soil level. The width should be twice the size of the root ball. Place the soil you remove in a container or tarp and store it until you need it. Keep the hole mulched and covered so it doesn’t fill in or freeze. Do not add amendments only within the hole. This will not encourage the roots to reach out. If the soil in the area where you are planting is not fertile and well drained, amend an area about three times the size of the root ball in advance of planting. Plant the tree at the same depth of the container. Be sure to remove the burlap wrapping, if your tree has one. I know that sounds obvious; humor me. Try to gently loosen the outside roots and direct them outward. Refill the hole with the soil you removed and gently heel it in. Water thoroughly after planting and every month or so if the temperatures remain mild, if precipitation is light and especially if there is a thaw. Apply 3 to 6 inches of inches of mulch as a blanket for the rest of the winter season.

Remember the most important thing, the Spirit of the Season is not just for The Season.

And don’t forget to water that tree!