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When a
Christmas tree is cut, over
half of its weight is water.
With proper care, you can
maintain the quality of your
cut trees. Below are a
number of tips relating to
the care of your tree:
-
Placing
trees in water is the
most effective way of
maintaining their
freshness and
minimizing needle loss
problems.
-
In
selecting a tree, make
sure that the
"handle" at
the bottom is long
enough to allow the
trunk to fit into you
tree stand. Otherwise,
it will be necessary
to remove large
branches near the
base, which could ruin
its appearance.
-
Make
a fresh cut to remove
a 1/4" to 1"
thick disk of wood
from the base of the
trunk before putting
the tree in the stand.
Make the cut
perpendicular to the
stem axis. Don't cut
the trunk at an angle,
or into a v-shape,
which makes it far
more difficult to hold
the tree in the stand
and also reduces the
amount of water
available to the tree.
If you use a
"center pin"
stand, make sure the
hole is drilled in the
stem after it is
trimmed
-
Once
home, place the tree
in water as soon as
possible. Most species
can go 6-8 hours after
cutting the trunk and
still take up water.
Don't bruise the cut
surface or get it
dirty.
-
If
needed, trees can be
temporarily stored for
several days in a cool location. Place the
freshly cut trunk in a
bucket that is kept
full of water. The
tree may need to be
supported in some
manner to keep if from
tipping over.
-
To
display the trees
indoors, use a stand
with an adequate water
holding capacity for
the tree. As a general
rule, stands should
provide 1 quart of
water per inch of stem
diameter. Devices are
available that help
maintain a constant
water level in the
stand.
-
Use
a stand that fits your
tree. Some stands have
circular rings at the
top, so the ring must
be large enough for
the trunk to go
through the hole.
Other stands are open,
which may allow a
greater range in trunk
size. Avoid whittling
the sides of the trunk
down to fit a stand.
The outer layers of
wood are the most
efficient in taking up
water and should not
be removed.
-
Keep
your tree away from
sources of heat
(fireplaces, heaters,
heat vents, direct
sunlight). Lowering
the room temperature
will slow the drying
process, resulting in
less water consumption
each day.
-
The
temperature of the
water used to fill the
stand is not important
and does not affect
water uptake.
-
Check
the stand daily to
make sure that the
level of water does
not go below the base
of the tree. With many
stands, there can
still be water in the
stand even though the
base of the tree is no
longer submerged in
water.
-
Drilling
a hole in the base of
the trunk does not
improve water uptake.
-
The
use of "I-V"
type devices to supply
water directly to
holes drilled in the
sides of the tree
trunk is not as
effective as placing
the tree in a more
traditional reservoir
type of stand.
-
Applying
film-forming anti-transpirants
to the tree does not
have a significant
effect on the rate of
moisture loss from the
tree. These products
supposedly block the
evaporation of water
from the surface of
foliage, but in
reality they have
little effect.
-
Adding
water-holding gels to
the stand is not
beneficial and they
can reduce the amount
of water in the stand
that is available to
the tree.
-
Do
not use additives in
the water, including
floral preservatives,
commercial tree
preservatives,
molasses, sugar,
bleach, soft drinks,
aspirin, honey, and
other concoctions.
Clean water is all
that is needed to
maintain freshness.
-
Placing
trees in water with
proper care is the
most effective way of
maintaining a tree's
moisture. Some flame
retardants can damage
needles and actually
increase the rate of
moisture loss from
trees.
-
Use
of miniature lights
will produce much less
heat and reduce drying
of the tree.
-
Always
inspect light sets
prior to placing them
on the tree. If worn,
replace with a new
set.
-
Do
not overload
electrical circuits.
-
Always
turn off the lights
when leaving the house
or when going to bed.
-
Monitor
the tree for
freshness. After
Christmas or if the
tree is dry, remove it
from the house.
-
Go
to www.realchristmastrees.org
and type in your zip
code to find a
recycling program near
you.
-
Never
burn any part of a
Christmas tree in a
wood stove of
fireplace.
After the
holidays RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREES!!
The chipping of "after the
Holiday" Christmas trees has been coordinated by many
County and Municipal Governments. These recycling
programs are similar to Vermont's Merry Mulch Project,
where thousands of "after the Holiday" Christmas trees
were chipped into mulch and made available free of
charge to homeowners. These trees may also be placed in
your yard, where birds can make use of them either as a
winter shelter or as a feeding station, if food
is hung from the branches. A Christmas tree is
biodegradable, it's branches may be removed and used as
mulch in the garden. From the trunk, a multitude of
items, including buttons, gavels and candlesticks
can be made by woodworking hobbyists. Fir tree foliage
can be stripped from the branches and snipped into small
pieces for stuffing into aromatic pillows for
sofa or bedroom. Some coastal communities collect "after
the Holiday" Christmas trees for use in creating dunes,
to control beach erosion. For proper Christmas tree
disposal, check with your local municipality.
For
additional information on
the handling and care of
Christmas trees, check out
the following link:
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66/contents.html
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