   Christmas Tree Selection and Care - December 6, 2000 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Right now, many families are performing their yearly ritual: finding that perfect evergreen tree, bringing it into their home, decorating, smelling, and worshiping it for a month or so, then discarding it after the new year begins. According to many sources, this holiday tradition comes from Germany and was first documented in a 1494 work by Sebastian Brant. Here is a translated excerpt: "and he who has received nothing new, and finds no joy in the new year and sets twigs of fir his house, believes he will not live life to the full in the coming year". Another story tells how on December 24, 1776 some of the 30,000 German mercenaries (Hessians) hired to aid the British troops, were celebrating. They were close to defeating George Washington's troops and it was Christmas Eve. The German tradition of enthusiastic rejoicing with food, songs and decorated evergreen trees. As a consequence, not much attention was being paid to their military duties. Early on December 26th Washington and his army attacked and were able to defeat the British. After the Revolutionary War, some Germans remained in the United States and the "Christmas Tree Tradition" was shared with neighbors. I wonder how we progressed from trees and started worshiping shopping malls too? Today, many independent farmers raise crops of Christmas trees to satisfy the yearly demand. Most Christmas trees that reach Arizona are Douglas-fir from Oregon, Washington, or even Canada. The stately, higher priced trees are red or noble fir. Regardless, of the species, cut Christmas tree production is big business. In the coming weeks, an estimated 36 million U.S. families plan to focus their holiday traditions around a cut tree (from a 2000 National Christmas Tree Association Survey). Here are some tips for selecting and caring for a cut tree and keeping it safely inside your home: 1. Do a freshness test. Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull 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 an 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. 2. 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 bring it indoors and decorate it. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 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 and use only UL approved lighting accessories. 7. Avoid combustible decorations such as paper, wood, or plastic. 8. Always unplug your lights/decorations before going to bed or leaving home. 9. Make sure your smoke detector is in good working order and a fire extinguisher is nearby and in good working order. 10. Never place candles or other open flame sources on or near your tree. Live trees are also popular. If planning to have a live tree and plant it in your landscape after the holidays, know the species to discern whether it is suitable for our area and how large it will be when mature. Another option is to plant a tree in a large container that can be brought indoors for a week or so during the holiday season. Keep in mind that the tree will be stressed while indoors from heat and lack of sunlight. Regardless of your holiday traditions or religious affiliation, it can be fun to bring an evergreen tree into your home. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on tree selection and planting guidelines. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 or E-mail us at mgardener@kachina.net and be sure to include your address and phone number. The Yavapai County Cooperative Extension web site is http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/. |