Mom is allergic to pine trees growing up, so back in the 60’s our tree was this little table top thing with sparkly foil branches. During the 70’s it was a plastic “life like” tree from Montgomery Wards. I still have that one in a closet somewhere.
A very close friend of mine is a sculptor who gave me for Christmas a 7 foot tall metal sculpture he did that is kind of pointy towards the top and one year while we were out in the garage doing guy things his girlfriend and my wife decided to decorate the sculpture and put presents under it. The look on his face was priceless when we came in. It’s been a Christmas tradition ever since.
But if I had a choice I would go with a live tree for Christmas. You can get small pine trees from most nurseries balled and burlaped and then after Christmas rather than going into a landfill you have a tree you can plant in the yard. There are just a few things you need keep in mind.
First of all, make sure that the tree you are getting will survive well in the type of soil you have in it’s new home. The folks at the nursery should be able to steer you in the right direction there.
In addition, Clemson University has these suggestions about how to care for the tree after you get it home:
Before moving the tree inside the house, help it adjust by moving it to an unheated but sheltered area such as a garage or porch for a couple of days.
Keep the tree in the house for no more than 7 to 10 days.
Locate the tree indoors in as cool a location as possible. Keep it away from heating vents, fireplaces and other heat sources. Use limited numbers of miniature tree lights.
Provide as much natural light as possible.
Place the root ball or container in a water holding tub. Fill the bottom two inches of the tub with gravel and place the ball or container on the gravel. This will keep the tree from sitting in water.
Keep the root ball constantly and evenly moist, but not flooded. A handy technique for watering trees while indoors is to place crushed ice over the top of the root ball.
A piece of pipe inserted vertically at the side of the tub provides an easy way to check water level in the tub. If there is water at the bottom of the pipe, you do not need to water the tree. You can check the water level by inserting a “dip stick” into the pipe
After the holidays it’s best to allow the tree to adjust to outside for a fewdays, maybe in a garage or patio, before planting it.
If you really need to go the traditional route, you can minimize the negative impact on the environment by properly disposing of the tree. Colorado State University has these suggestions:
Give the tree, sans the tinsel, to conservation groups, who place trees in gullies and arroyos to slow soil erosion.
Recycle it through a municipality that uses chippers to convert trees to landscape or garden mulch.
Use the cut tree as a model for a future landscape evergreen. Observe how the tree looks in relation to buildings and other plantings near the proposed site.
Create a bird station by tying the tree to a fence post or setting it in the ground. Hang suet cakes or seed balls from the tree.
Cut off branches, leaving one-inch stubs on the trunk. Use branches and needles as mulch. The trunk will make a fine tomato stake or bean pole.
Popularity: 3% [?]
