JW: Oh, Christmas tree Oh Christmas tree. How lovely are the branches. For many folks choosing a live tree and bringing it home and decorating it is the highlight of the holiday season. So we want to make the most of it. I'm Judy Wagley, this is “From the Ground Up!” I'm at Vander Sys Tree Farm in Weidman with Laura Allen. Thanks for having me here today, Laura.
LA: I'm so happy that you've made it out here in the snow.
JW: For folks who want to choose and maybe cut their own live Christmas tree. Would you give us a few suggestions on what to look for when we're out there on the tree farm?
LA: Well, I'd say first go to the patch of trees that's the size of the tree you want so that we cut it off at the ground. And just verify your height because they always look smaller out in the field and then you get them home into your house and it's like-- oh the tops are bent over on the ceiling. So you want to find one that the shape you like the needles you like whether you like the soft needles for balsam fir or the Fraser for a little stiffer branch, but they're still soft needles, they hold their needles really well. The balsam fir, they have excellent fragrance, and they'll look more dense, more full. But their branches are a little bit lighter weight. So if you have heavy ornaments you would want to maybe lean more towards the Fraser fir.
JW: Do you have a favorite Laura?
LA: Well, I would say we always have a Fraser fir.
JW: What do we do when we get it home.
LA: So the first thing is you want to make sure it has a fresh cut, it so if you just cut it at the farm, you get it home, put it in a pail of water, or in your tree stand, you want to get water on it right away. We don't want it to pitch over. And so get that tree with some water, and then open it up. And then please keep it away from any kind of heat source or a register, you know, not close to a wood stove or any kind of furnace, maybe even keep it out of the sun, if you have a big picture window. You wouldn't want the sun heating it up.
JW: Keep it out of the heat and the sun. What about watering?
LA: Well, a good-sized tree will drink a gallon of water morning and night when you first put it up. And what it is doing is taking in all the water that it's kind of lost in the dry fall. And so you do not want it to run out of water, you want to keep it filled up. If it drinks that whole gallon, then you want to use some hot water not boiling, just hot, hot tap water. And that will soften the pitch so that then it can take up the water again. Then I recommend that you set an alarm on your phone. Like you know, eight o'clock at night, eight o'clock in the morning, whatever works with your schedule, and have it like “time to water the tree!” And so you just don't forget because I know many of -- myself included-- are pretty good about watering the tree the first week and then it kind of like tapers off and then “Oh darn, I let it run out of water.” And from that point on then it's drying out. Now a Fraser fir, it may lose a little bit of its colors, but it will hold the needles even if it dries out, where a balsam fir might start shedding. So it is so important that you keep it watered.
JW: We've taken good care of our tree-- kept it watered kept it out of the heat the light. How long should we expect it to last?
LA: Well, you know, there's always exceptions to every rule, I would say a month should be fine. I know people that have kept it up for two or three months. So it's all about how warm you keep your house how much you've watered it. So I think a month is pretty reasonable.
JW: You have this Christmas tree farm and you're so busy this time of year with all of these beautiful trees and it smells so good here! Thank you for all you do to make the holidays even more beautiful for so many people.
LA: Well thank you for coming in. Let me share my excitement of having a tree farm.
JW: That's Laura Allen from Vander Sys tree farm in Weidman. I'm Judy Wagley, “It's “From the Ground Up!”
