Experts suggest you must choose wisely to ensure you have a healthy tree.
When looking for a good quality Christmas tree the word ‘fresh’ tends to spring into everyone’s minds. So firstly ensure you purchase a fresh tree. Branches should be springy and the needles should look healthy and lush.
There are a few quick tests you can do to make sure you have a healthy tree. One is a quick visual test, just looking at the colour and see that it is deep and colourful with no dry looking sections on the tree and also look to see there are no broken branches on the tree. To check that your tree is not already dry, check that the branches are reasonably firm and check that the needles are flexible, strong and bright. To test the needles you can hold gently 5 inches down one of the branches and softly pull your hand to the tip of the branch. A healthy tree should retain almost all its needles, without any coming off in your hand. Also bend one of the needles to make sure it is flexible and not dry and brittle, it will snap if it is to dry. You can also smell a good tree, if your tree is fragrant it is healthy.
There is a huge variety of Christmas Trees to choose from including the Silver Fir, Noble Fir, Norway Spruce, Scots Pine, and Swiss Pine. Spruce trees, particularly the Norway Spruce, used to be popular however their main weakness is that they lose needles soon after cutting. Nowadays the most popular choice is the Nordman Fir because it is softer to touch and retains its needles better.
It is becoming increasingly popular for consumers to purchase trees with roots or “Living Christmas Trees”. An important distinction must be made here. There are “potted” trees which are dug out, with their roots trimmed and their are “pot grown” trees which have been grown in pots since seedlings. These “pot grown” trees have a much healthy root system and are therefore much more likely to survive after Christmas if planted. However the low humidity and high temperatures of an indoor environment is very detrimental to a trees health. Moreover, the warmth of an indoor climate can bring a tree out of its winter dormancy and leave it very unprotected if it is then re-exposed to the cold winter. Generally therefore, the main advantage of Living Christmas Trees is that they do not need a separate tree stand, and that they stay fresh for months. If you want to plant your tree in the garden it is advisable to purchase a “pot grown” tree and to minimise the tree’s time indoors.
Whether you purchase a cut or living Christmas tree you really need to look at the health of your Christmas tree to ensure that you get one that lasts all season. The main factor in making trees unhealthy is exposure to heat which then dries the tree out, so if your tree is going near a heat source if possible turn the heat source off. The next vital piece of tree care, is to water your tree daily, and if possible with nutrient enriched water. In fact if your tree is healthy it can drink up to a litre of water a day.
Author Resource:
Buyatree.com Christmas Trees can supply everyone of your Christmas tree needs: from delivery to installation and even a convenient Christmas tree recycling service.
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