The Thanksgiving turkey is barely cleared off the table when
many Georgians
bring in the
Christmas tree.
"Live Christmas trees have an attractiveness, fragrance and
tradition
that can't be matched with
artificial substitutes," said Dave
Moorhead, an Extension
Service
forester with the University of
Georgia D.B.
Warnell School of Forest Resources.
Jim Lindquist, owner of Lindquist Christmas Tree Farm in
Senoia and
president of the Georgia
Christmas Tree Association, says the average cost of a pine
this year
will be $20 to $25.
"Leyland cypresses will probably be $30 to $35 for an average
6- to
7-foot tree," he said. "And
the imports like Fraser firs will be more, because you have
to figure
in transportation costs."
Moorhead said Georgia farmers provide about a third of the
more than
1 million trees Georgia
families buy for their holiday decorating. Most Georgia
farms sell
choose-and-cut trees. Prices
vary from $2 to $7 per foot.
"Whether you select your live Christmas tree from a retail
lot or cut
your own at a farm, follow
basic guidelines to make sure you're getting a good tree,"
he said.
"Tree shape, height and foliage characteristics are important
features
to consider when you select
the tree," he said.
* Check the height of the ceiling in the room where you will
display
your tree. Select a tree at
least one foot shorter than the ceiling height.
* Gently pull along the needles for the length of a branch.
They should
bend but not break or fall
off.
* Shake or bounce the tree to be sure the needles are firmly
attached.
If the tree is fresh, few
needles should fall off. Some loss of needles inside the
tree is common.
* Avoid trees that look wilted.
* Make sure the handle of the tree (the remaining trunk) is
straight.
The handle must be 6 to 8
inches long to stay in a stand.
* Check for insects and dead needles inside the top of the
tree. Have
dead needles shaken or
blown out when you buy the tree.
If you don't realize your tree has insects until you get it
home, try
to shake them off by bouncing
the tree on the ground. You can spray the tree with an
indoor-outdoor
aerosol insecticide that
contains Pyrethrin before taking it inside.
If you don't see the insects until the tree is inside your
home, spray
it with an indoor-approved
aerosol insecticide. Carefully follow the label directions.
"You'll know you have insects in your tree if sticky drops
appear on
the floor and on the presents
around your tree," Moorhead said.
If you don't plan to put your tree up right away, cut 1 inch
off the
base, put the tree in a bucket of
water and stand it in a shady place.
"When you do bring the tree indoors, cut another one-half to
1 inch
off the base of the trunk,"
Moorhead said. "And put it in a tree stand that holds at
least one
gallon of water."
Never place a tree near a fireplace, heater vent or any heat
source.
And always keep the tree
well-watered.
"Check the water level in the stand several times each day,"
Moorhead
said. "Trees can use
several quarts of water every day. And you never want the
water level
to fall below the base of
the tree."
If the water level does get below the base, the cut end can
seal over
and prevent the tree from
taking in water.
Over the years, all sorts of gimmicks have been concocted to
make a
tree last longer. Don't
bother.
"Adding aspirin, soda water, bleach or sugar to the water in
the tree
stand," Moorhead said, "is
no more effective in keeping the tree fresh than adding just
plain
water each day."