For Release November 20, 2001

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

Thanksgiving is just ahead and before you know it, it will be Christmas. Traditionally, the Christmas season starts right after Thanksgiving and that includes the annual ritual of putting up a Christmas tree. This year Thanksgiving is as early as it ever will be. Which means that if you put up your Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving, it will have been up almost 5 weeks by the time Christmas arrives.

If you have an artificial tree, then all you have to worry about is how dusty it might be by the time Christmas arrives. However, if you, like a growing number of other families, prefer a real Christmas tree, then you need to think about this. A Christmas tree, like any tree, dies after you cut it. As it dies, it dries out. The better the care you give it after cutting, the slower it will dry out.

A freshly cut Christmas tree, that is provided adequate water, will not be a great fire hazard. A stale Christmas tree, that regularly runs out of water, will rapidly start to drop needles and will have greatly increased flammability. Adding to this dilemma is the fact that most real Christmas trees are cut several weeks before you see them in the Christmas tree lot.

So what’s a family to do? First of all, I strongly encourage the use of real Christmas trees. You are not harming the environment by using a real tree. These are a crop and for every tree harvested each year, there are usually two planted. So buy a real tree! If you want to make sure that you are getting as fresh of a tree as possible, go to a local Christmas tree farm and cut your own.

If you prefer to go to a local Christmas tree lot, then take a little extra time to make sure that you are getting a tree that should hold up. Narrow your choices down to three or four trees and then give them a freshness check. Grab a small branch tip and bend it. It should be fairly flexible. If it is brittle and snaps off in your hand, the tree is already dried beyond help. Next, grab the tree and give it a few sharp thuds off the cut end on the ground. A few needles will always fall off. But if it seems that a lot of needles are falling off bypass that tree for one that is fresher!

As soon as you get the tree to your home, you need to get it into water so it can start to re-hydrate. You may not want to put it up in the house right away, so put it in a cool dark place to store it. Cut about an inch off the bottom of the tree and immediately get it into a bucket of water or into the Christmas tree stand. For the first few days, the tree is likely to take up a lot of water. Check the stand two or three times a day. Keep it filled up as full as you can. There have been different recipes for keeping a tree fresh, but most of these have never shown to really make a difference. Simply make sure that you cut off the end of the tree, get it into water and keep it full of water.

As you place the tree in your home and decorate it, keep safety in mind. Keep the tree away from any flame or heat source. If the tree is near a heat duct, try to shut it off or at least reduce it while the tree is up. Make sure that all lights are in good working order and Underwriter Laboratories (UL) approved.

Then, just as soon as Christmas is over, take the tree down and get it out of the house where it can be recycled for other uses. The holidays should be a happy time. Make it better with a real Christmas tree, but keep it safe for everyone!

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