Owners Manual

Christmas Trees

During its life, growing on the farm, it has cared for you and the earth by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing life-giving oxygen. One acre of Christmas trees provides enough oxygen for 18 people daily. It has helped to stabilize the soil, protect our water supply, control erosion and give habitat for many animals. Real trees are the environmental choice because they are a renewable resource. Every year tree farmers plant about 2 to 3 times more trees than they harvest. These days almost no Christmas trees are cut out of the forest. After you take down your tree be sure to dispose of it properly. It's recyclable! You may put it in your backyard and hang orange slices, bread, and suet on it as a bird feeder. You may cut off the branches and lay them in your garden for mulch or take it to a local recycling program in your community. Check the newspaper or your municipality newsletter to know when and where to take your tree. It's the right thing to do. Our unsold trees are returned to nature as wildlife cover or chipped to use in local parks and trails.

As tree growers, we harvest our trees as late in the season as possible so the tree you buy is as fresh as possible. We shake the tree with our mechanical shaker to clean out any old needles or weeds that may have grown up through the tree. We will bale the tree for your handling convenience. Leave the baling on until you have the tree in the stand and positioned in your house. Then just cut the baling off with scissors. When you buy the tree we give it a fresh cut, because the sap seals up the end of the tree at the original cut and it will not allow water to be taken up into the tree. Be sure to get the tree into water within the next hour or so, so the tree can "drink" water to keep it fresh. If not, cut off one quarter of an inch before you install it into your tree stand.

A tree stand that holds 1 to 2 gallons of water is best. (Add warm water first to soften the sap and encourage water uptake.) The tree will "drink" a lot of water the first day or two, so keep the water level up. If the water level goes below the cut end and the sap seals the cut, it will not take up water well or at all. This would require a new fresh cut which is usually time-consuming to do. To maintain freshness, do not put your tree near a heat source such as a heating duct, wood stove or fire place. A fresh tree which is taking up water is fire-resistant because it has water in it. Please never use lighted candles on the tree and be sure the electric lights and cords are in good condition. Be sure to turn off the lights before retiring at night. Safety first!

PickYourOwnChristmasTree.org has a few guides on selecting a tree (http://pickyourownchristmastree.org/selecting.php ) and how to care for your Christmas tree (http://www.pickyourownchristmastree.org/caring4atree.php )

Wreaths

If you have purchased a wreath or other greenery, it is best to store it outside in a cool place out of the sun and wind until you are ready to display it. When displaying an evergreen door decoration, such as a wreath, always put it on the outside of the door. Do not put it between a door and storm door. This will heat up and prematurely dry your wreath, especially if it is on the sunny side of the house.