Christmas trees will be here and ready to buy by Thanksgiving.
The five best Christmas trees... and how to pick the perfect one
George Weigel | Special to PennLive
Next week begins the annual institution of hunting down the perfect Christmas tree – a compact four weeks when 30 million evergreens make the transition from field to living room.
Trees should be in good supply and good shape at about the same price as last year after a favorable growing season.
“Overall, it’s been a good year,” says Dr. Rick Bates, a Penn State University horticulture professor who specializes in Christmas trees. “There was no devastating frost to knock back growth in spring, and the rains were spaced out pretty well... All of the growers I’ve talked to are very happy with the growing season.”
Christmas-tree season has been getting earlier and earlier lately as more people are buying trees Thanksgiving weekend.
“That’s almost a full month before Christmas,” says Bates. “Plus a lot of people keep their tree up through New Year’s. That’s asking a tree to hold its needles for five or six weeks.”
Some species are up to that challenge, but it’ll help if you follow these tree-buying and tree-care tips:
Many Christmas-tree farms offer a cut-your-own option. (Credit: Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association, www.christmastrees.org)
Make it fresh
You won’t get trees any fresher than when you cut your own at a local tree farm. That’s been on the upswing lately (it’s a nice, old-fashioned family experience), and central Pennsylvania has lots of choose-and-cut farms to pick from.
The Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association has a "Find a Tree" feature on its website that lets you find nearby member growers by typing in your Zip code.
Pre-cut trees
About three-quarters of real-tree buyers get their trees already cut and displayed at chain stores, garden centers and retail lots.
The main thing to consider there is the source of the trees and how long ago they were cut.
Trees coming cross-country might have been cut weeks earlier, so ask the “where” and “when” questions before buying. Some species (especially firs) can hold their needles for six weeks or more, but others (spruce and pines, for example) often drop sooner.
Each season’s weather also affects freshness. Two important factors are plentiful growing-season rain (which we’ve had this year) and enough cold weather to force the trees into dormancy before they’re cut.
Some browning of the inner needles, as shown at left, is normal in evergreens, but if whole branches or branch tips are showing brown or browning needles as at right, the tree may soon drop a lot of foliage.
Freshness tests
Ways to check for tree freshness:
1.) It’s normal for needled conifers (cone-bearing trees commonly called “evergreens”) to have some brown needles toward the inner part the branches. That’s how they shed older, no-longer-needed needles. The branch tips, however, should be green (or blue, depending on the species).
Many sellers will shake trees at purchase to "clean" them of brown. Be aware that if there's a lot of browning inside (such as after a droughty growing season), the tree won't look as full.
2.) Bend and pull a few needles. Says the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association: “The needles should bend and not break and should be hard to pull off of the branches. Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you. Very few needles should come off in your hand if the tree is fresh. Then shake or bounce the tree on its stump. You should not see an excessive amount of green needles fall to the ground.”
3.) Assess the color. Is it vibrant or somewhat dull or faded in appearance? Tree-shopping in daylight will help you with this one.
Watch George’s video on how to pick a fresh tree
If you cut your own...
No worries about freshness if you’re cutting your own, but consider these:
1.) Know your room’s height and width parameters so you have a clue of what size to cut. Take along a measuring tape.
2.) Wear comfortable shoes and old clothes. And check on the farm’s hours and whether it supplies saws (most do). Many offer other festivities on selected days.
3.) Pay attention to the straightness of the trunk in addition to the shape, size and color of the tree itself.
4.) Farms usually shake trees at purchase, but you might also want to hose it down before setting it up inside to eliminate the possibility of bugs, spiders, bug eggs, pollen and/or pesticide residue.
Keeping your tree fresh and safe
Whether you cut your own or buy pre-cut, use these practices to keep the tree fresh through Christmas:
1.) Cut a half-inch slice off the bottom of the trunk before placing the tree in the water reservoir. If you’re using a spike stand, make sure your hole is drilled deeply enough to allow for this cut – or make the cut just before drilling and setting up.
2.) Use a big enough stand and reservoir. “I still see a lot of tree stands with reservoirs that are too small,” says Bates. “At a minimum, I’d look for a gallon size.”
Rule of thumb: allow for at least 1 quarter of water capacity for each inch of trunk diameter (i.e. a minimum 1-gallon reservoir for a 4-inch trunk).
3.) Most important: Check water daily to be sure the level never drops below the cut end. This ensures the channels don't "sap over" and hinder the cut tree's ability to suck up water. Plain water is fine, by the time. Preservatives do little or nothing to help needle retention.
4.) Display the tree away from fireplaces and the drying air of heat sources.
5.) Use low-heat lights, such as miniatures or LED types, and make sure your light cords and connections are in good working order. Don’t use more than three light sets per extension cord.
Unplug lights when going to bed or when leaving home.
If you buy artificial
Some people prefer skipping real trees altogether in favor of artificial trees (a.k.a. “permanent” or “fake”). A few shopping tips on those:
1.) Consider ease of assembly and storage. Is it a fold-up tree or one that gets assembled branch by branch?
2.) Compare stands. Some are plastic, others are metal with rubber feet.
3.) If you’re buying a pre-lit tree, make sure the lights are UL-approved and designed so that if one light goes out, the whole string won’t.
4.) Is the look full (no center pole showing) and shaped as you like? And is the height right for the intended room?
The five best Christmas tree varieties
The species of tree that you’re buying makes a difference, both in terms of the look you like and in how well they hold their needles and support ornaments.
Here’s what Bates lists as his favorite five Christmas-tree types for Pennsylvania:
1.) Fraser fir
This species has very strong branches to support ornaments; soft, short, blue-green needles with silvery undersides, and a sleek, open habit.
“No matter what you do to it, this tree is going to hang onto its needles,” says Bates. “It hardly sheds at all.”
It’s also widely available but usually the most expensive choice.
2. Concolor fir
Also known as white fir, concolors have soft, flat, silvery-blue needles, good branch strength, and good needle retention.
“I like the needle color of this one,” says Bates. “It’s almost silvery like a Colorado blue spruce. But the thing I like most about it is the fragrance. It has a citrusy smell, kind of like tangerine.”
3. Douglas fir
This bushy conifer (not a true fir, though) has soft, medium-green to bluish-green needles, good needle retention, good branch strength, and a mild citrusy fragrance.
“It’s very easy to find and is less expensive than a Fraser fir,” says Bates. “It has finer-texture needles than a Fraser, too.”
4. Nordmann fir
Here’s the up-and-comer that’s a bit hard to find so far.
“I think we’re going to see more and more of these,” says Bates. “They have needles that are shiny and glossy. Nordmanns are a little more expensive because it’s a harder tree to grow, but there’s more acreage being devoted to it.”
Nordmann fir needles are dark green, the tree’s habit is pyramidal and somewhat layered like Fraser fir, its branching is strong, and it has very good needle retention.
5. Balsam fir
This northern conifer also isn’t as widely available as Fraser and Douglas firs, but it’s usually good in needle retention, pyramidal in habit, and distinctive for its short, somewhat flat green needles.
“Balsam fir is hard to beat for fragrance,” says Bates. “It’s one of the most fragrant trees you’ll find.”
For more on the holidays:
- Why is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from Pa.? Thank Penn State football
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- Holiday tipping guide
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- 19 ways to fall in love with the holidays in pa
- Vintage Christmas cookies
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- Inside a life-sized gingerbread house
- How to make your own holiday wreath
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