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Cut Tree Care Tips
"Choosing a real Christmas tree is a fun
outing for the whole family and easy to do," says Joan Geiger,
Associate Executive Director of the National Christmas Tree Association.
She suggests a few simple steps for selecting the perfect tree.
In most households, the holiday season didn't begin until the family
went to the local lot or tree farm to pick out their tree. Then, the
whole family would decorate the tree. Gifts would be wrapped and placed
underneath it. And, on Christmas morning, the family would once again
join around the tree waiting for the festivities to begin. The scent,
aroma, and the real tree itself were an integral part of the family
unity as well as the holiday season itself. This tradition continues to
this day as more than 37 million families celebrate with a real
Christmas tree.
The celebrating of Christmas with a real tree has been a tradition for
over 400 years. At one time, all Christmas trees were cut from natural
stands (or straight out of the forest). As you can imagine, these wild
trees looked nothing like today's professionally grown and sheared
trees. Today, 98% of trees are grown on plantations. These plantations
may sell them to local lots, or act as choose and cut farms where people
go to select and cut down their own fresh tree.
To make your tradition a more memorable and pleasant one, we'd like to
offer a few helpful hints when selecting a tree:
Do a freshness test. Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and
forefinger and pill it toward you. Very few needles should come off in
your hand if the tree is fresh. Shake or bounce the tree on its stump.
You should not see and excessive amount of green needles fall to the
ground. Some loss of interior brown needles is normal and will occur
over the lifetime of the tree.
Once you've chosen your tree, keep it in a sheltered, unheated area such
as a porch or garage to protect it from the wind and sun until you are
ready to decorate it.
Before you set up your tree, make a fresh, straight cut across the base
of the trunk (about a quarter inch up from the original cut) and place
the tree in a tree stand that holds a gallon of water or more.
Warning: Keep the tree stand filled with water. A seal of dried sap will
form over the cut stump in four to six hours if the water drops below
the base of the tree, preventing the tree from absorbing water later
when the tree stand is refilled. If a seal does form, another fresh cut
will need to be made.
A tree will absorb as much as a gallon of water or more in the first 24
hours and one or more quarts a day thereafter. Water is important
because it prevents the needles from drying and dropping off and the
boughs from drooping. Water also keeps the tree fragrant.
In addition, keep your tree away from heat and draft sources like
fireplaces, radiators and television sets.
Test your light cords and connections before hanging them on the tree to
make sure they're in good working order. You don't want to use cords
with cracked insulation or broken or empty sockets. Also be sure to
unplug the lights before you go to bed or leave the house. Never
overload electrical circuits.
Sensible precautions such as these will help preserve the unique beauty
and tradition that only a real Christmas tree can provide.
