Hi, I just picked up a Christmas tree from Home depot--a Balsam Fir to be exact. I was just wondering how to tell if the tree is fresh? We did notice a decent amount of needles that fell to the floor of the truck on the way home, but I'm not sure if this is normal or not? Can someone tell me what to look for, so that I'll know whether or not to return the tree? Thanks.
Some needles will naturally fall out, at the first real good shake. After it is shaken real heavily to clear out the needles, it should not shed a lot a day later.
Bend a small branch or stem, out near the end of the branch. It should snap back pretty quickly instead of staying "with the bend."
Cut about an inch off the bottom of the stump (for a fresh cut) , and place the tree in water. It is amazing how much water they will suck up. Some folks put sugar in the water, but I never have felt the need for that. Watch the water level daily.
Hope this helps !!
--James--
Keep it long past Christmas, and you'll see first-hand what "not fresh" looks like for next year. Plus, as an added bonus, you will get to see how long it takes.
Ask the guys at Home Depot for tips on keeping it fresh.
Hey thanks guys for your help. I guess it is fresh then--the branches do snap back pretty well and it doesn't seem to be dropping as amny needles as it did when it first got in the truck.
Agreed.
Check that dish many times each day and keep it full of fresh water.
When the concern of "fire hazard" starts to bother me, I take a few needles off the tree, place them in a metal container OUTSIDE, and light them. This gives me an idea of just how flammable my tree is.
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Just make sure that the beautiful Tannenbaum you invite into your living room doesn't make your allergies worse! Although an artificial tree is best (if you rinse off the attic dust!), here's some tips if you decide to go with a real tree:
That continual watering promotes mold growth. Make sure to spray your tree with a garden hose before bringing it inside. This also helps rinse the pollen off the tree. Although pine trees aren't a major source of tree pollen, they can trigger hay fever if you get a big dose of the powder right in your face. Rinsing the tree off, plus using your allergy medicines before you enjoy trimming the tree, may prevent your Christmas-time allergy. Speaking of trimming the tree, your ornaments may have spent the off-season in the attic with dust mites and mold. Carefully clean them off in a well-ventilated area. After Christmas, pack the ornaments carefully in sealed plastic bags to make next year's job a bit easier.
Keep the living room well-ventilated. The aromatic resins that impart the pine scent can act as non-allergic irritants. Our Texas Aggie buddies suggest the Leyland Cypress tree since, as a true hybrid, it cannot produce pollen. Fewer resins on the Leyland Cypress mean fewer odors.
Stay well and Happy Holidays from The Allergy Clinic, your allergy and asthma specialists!
Republished by Celestial Habitats J. Kolenovsky
maybe I should consider converting to judaism!
The Christmas tree you'll soon be buying is at the end of its long journey. Having grown up in Oregon, it is harvested and placed on a flat bed truck for its cross country journey. Once every few stops, the trees are watered down to keep them moist and fresh. =
Just make sure that the beautiful Tannenbaum you invite into your living room doesn't make your allergies worse! Although an artificial tree is best (if you rinse off the attic dust!), here's some tips if you decide to go with a real tree: =
That continual watering promotes mold growth. Make sure to spray your tree with a garden hose before bringing it inside. This also helps rinse the pollen off the tree. Although pine trees aren't a major source of tree pollen, they can trigger hay fever if you get a big dose of the powder right in your face. Rinsing the tree off, plus using your allergy medicines before you enjoy trimming the tree, may prevent your Christmas-time allergy. Speaking of trimming the tree, your ornaments may have spent the off-season in the attic with dust mites and mold. =
Carefully clean them off in a well-ventilated area. After Christmas, pack the ornaments carefully in sealed plastic bags to make next year's job a bit easier. =
Keep the living room well-ventilated. The aromatic resins that impart the pine scent can act as non-allergic irritants. Our Texas Aggie buddies suggest the Leyland Cypress tree since, as a true hybrid, it cannot produce pollen. Fewer resins on the Leyland Cypress mean fewer odors.
Along with cheerful holiday gatherings come colds and flu. How does your doctor keep from getting all those bugs? We wash our hands with hot soapy water about 753 times a day. Careful hand washing can prevent transmission of respiratory viruses. =
Stay well and Happy Holidays from The Allergy Clinic, your allergy and asthma specialists!
Republished by Celestial Habitats J. Kolenovsky
TheKeith wrote:
May the Lorax bitch slap some sense into you.
You are the bad one.
it doesnt help. we got the tree along with everything else.... everyone been bitching about the tree not being aromatic and ours was sooo over the top with smell the first day I didnt know if I was going to be able to stand it.
forget the sugar water. it just breeds bacteria. sucrose is not glucose, which the tree needs anyway. fresh water is good. Ingrid
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
Why? Commercial Christmas trees aren't part of an old-growth forest; they're a crop. Might as well scold someone for buying roses or corn. What is your objection?
Why should that person be bitch slapped by the Lorax? The post stated the tree was a balsam fir, a variety that is normally grown on Christmas tree farms, not a Truffula Tree BTW, the Once-ler we should be concerned about just signed the Healthy Forests Act (name makes you hurl) that gives the lumber industry the right to rape national forests under the pretense of protecting people from wild fires. The lumber industry got their political contributions back in spades. Just watch the group vote for him in droves, which could make him a Twice-ler.
John
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
Hi j Nice article, but nitpicker that I am, I will make this comment: pines do indeed produce abundant pollen, and it is wind borne, covering lakes, creeks, the ground, your car, picnic tables, with a fine yeloow-green powder, but not at this time of year. Pollen is produced in the Spring/early Summer, so I doubt much would still be on the needles, certainly not going to "get a big dose of the powder in the face."
Emilie
Are you sure? Since the trees are a crop for growers, one assumes they would have an interest in keeping their fields free from debris. And don't most Christmas tree lots also sell branches and trimmings for decoration?
Oh my god! Dead branches? Outside? The bastards!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
Not necessarily - I run my Xmas trees through a chipper-shredder and turn it into compost. There are also many areas in which there is a regional collection site where the same thing is done on a commercial basis. Another legitimate use in our area (IMHO) is to collect and sink discarded trees into area lakes, where they become nurseries for spawning fish and a hiding place for fingerlings. Our area is strongly encouraged to bring all its discarded trees to a collecting point for this purpose.
John
Millie, I don't know. I just happened to have read my Chamber of Commerce's newsletter the hour before and the allergy clinic that is also a member ran that article. I had mentioned the post was a republish. If you'd like the Doctor's name and e-mail, I would be glad to forward it on to you. He may be tickled his article was read by someone in California.
JMLEBLANCA wrote: =
I did a powerpoint presentation on recycling Christmans trees and it covers the fish reefs as well as other applications. There were some cool pix of Huey helicopters airlifting trees into wooden bins off the Louisiana coast designed as barriers to reclaim coastline and then were vegetated.
J =
B & J wrote:
J Kolenovsky expounded:
Even doctors get allergens wrong. My mother's allergist told her all about the evils of goldenrod......my mother explained to him the difference between wind pollinated and bee pollinated plants, and that during 'goldenrod' season, people are really reacting to ragweed!
However, it is definitely possible to be allergic to christmas trees, my brother was, horribly. We had fake trees for years because of it.
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