December 04, 2004

OUR CHRISTMAS TREE is up. It's a 7 foot blue noble fir grown in NE Oregon. We paid the Boy Scouts $99 for the tree. The blue nobles have a wonderful color and they last a bit longer than most other Christmas trees. My daughter was delighted to see Christmas tree ornaments with her name on them from "when I was a baby."

Christmas tree varieties are rated here. The noble fir comes in at No. 2 behind the fraser fir, a stunning tree from the South.

Some things I didn't know:

(Q)Should I add bleach, aspirin, fertilizer or other things to the water to make trees last longer?

(A)No! Research has shown that plain tap water is by far the best. Some commercial additives and home concoctions can actually be detrimental to a tree's moisture retention and increase needle loss. Water holding stands that are kept filled with plain water will extend the freshness of trees for weeks.

(Q)How large should my water stand be?

(A) Choosing a large capacity stand is one of the most important steps to maintaining tree freshness. Avoid small "coffee cup" stands. Check the water level frequently since trees can drink large amounts of water each day, particularly pre-cut trees during the first week of display. Generally, a tree can use up to one quart of water per day for each inch of stem diameter. Therefore, a stand that will hold a four-inch trunk should hold at least one gallon of water with the tree in the stand.

Posted by Greg Ransom | TrackBack