• Ask Mark
    • Search the Library
    • Mark’s Blog
    • eNewsletter / Subscribe
    • Books
    • Links
  • Cullen’s Foods
  • Trees For Life
  • Events
    • Gardening Communities
  • About Mark
    • Mark and Ben’s Bio
    • Book Mark as a Speaker
    • Mark in the Media
    • Contact Us
December 12, 2015

Picking the Best Live Christmas Tree

Top 5 Tips: Picking the Best Live Christmas Tree

With Christmas less than 2 weeks away (!) many readers will head out this weekend in search of the perfect live Christmas tree. If you are among the many that will wade on to ‘cut your own’ farms and retail lots this weekend, be sure to arm yourself with these facts. As you part with your hard earned cash you are investing not just in a large Christmas decoration but, for many, a tradition that has meaning beyond monetary value.

Be sure to approach the buying (and cutting/hauling) process as a fun project. If you are taking family members with you be sure to take your time: stop for a hot chocolate and try not to rush this experience. I often see families engage in Christmas tree buying much the same way as they would buy a family pet. In a way, a live Christmas tree IS a pet.

Prices shown are for average sized trees, usually 2 to 2.2 meters or 6 to 7 feet tall.

1. What do you want in a live tree? Determine what you are looking for in a live tree. Here is a short list of the most popular evergreens that you will find on retail lots and Christmas tree farms:
a. Scots Pine. Note, not a ‘Scotch’ pine. This was the biggest seller for many years, until the Fraser Fir came along. It retains its needles quite well, displays ornaments and lights with lots of space between its branches and tends to take up lots of horizontal space – they are wider than fir trees. Check out the trunk of your favourite specimen for straightness or you will curse it before you stand it upright in a tree stand. Price is lower than most fir trees, in the $20 to $30 range.
b. Fraser Fir. The #1 best seller in eastern Canada. Retains needles very well, has a soft evergreen scent, is soft to the touch, features dark green needles with a silvery underside, very dense foliage/branching and the trunk is generally straight. Classic ‘spruce’ type, evergreen shape. Price range $40 to $70.
c. Balsam Fir. A native tree to Central and Eastern Canada, Balsam has good needle retention, reasonably dense foliage and a great evergreen scent. It is lightweight and generally has a straight trunk. Price range $30 to $50
d. Spruce. Colorado spruce and white spruce are often available on Christmas tree lots. They smell great and are often the perfect shape, but needle retention is a problem. Unless you are bringing it indoors for 5 days or less, I recommend that you pass on spruce.

There are other evergreens out there that fit the bill, but those listed represent over 95% of the trees sold in Canada.

2. Fresh. A Christmas tree can be a fire hazard. How do you minimize this risk? By a fresh tree in the first place and keep it hydrated. Give it the ‘squeeze’ test before you buy. Squeeze a needle or needle cluster between your thumb and finger: if it snaps, pass on it. If it bends as you put pressure on it, you have a winner. Be sure to use a deep-dish stand that holds at least a couple of litres of water. Be sure to fill the reservoir up daily, especially the day that you put the tree up. Place a fire extinguisher near your tree, just in case.
3. Cut the butt. Fred Somerville, president of Somerville Nurseries/Kris Kringle Christmas trees in Alliston, Ontario and the largest grower of Christmas trees in the province, suggests that, “Before you put your tree up, be sure to cut the butt end of it with a pruning saw to open up the capillaries of the tree and help it absorb water from the reservoir.”
4. Get it straight. Note my comments in #1. I can’t over emphasize the need to buy as straight a tree as possible. I speak from experience and anyone who has tried putting up a tree with a ‘wow’ or hook in it knows what I am talking about. If you happen to have a tippy tree, consider extending a string from a hook in the ceiling to the leader of the tree to secure it in an upright position.
5. After care. Fred emphasizes that you need to water your tree daily and consider how you will dispose of your tree when you’re done with it. I take my tree out of doors right after Christmas and place it in the garden, minus the ornaments. I hang suet balls on it and let the birds use it for protection against winter wind. It adds some ‘winter interest’ in the garden and come spring, I cut it up for the ‘green’ pick up at the end of the driveway.

And finally, Fred reminds us that, “Real trees are renewable, recyclable and 100% biodegradable.” All true.

← Previous post
2016 Harrowsmith Almanac

Next post →
Last Minute Gardening Gifts

Search

Recent Posts

  • Signs of Spring March 27, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week February 2, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week January 11, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week December 9, 2020

Mark’s Blog by Month

Ask Mark

  • eNewsletter
  • Radio/Podcast
  • Magazine article
  • Newspaper column
  • TV

Recent Tweets

Mark Cullen Follow

Best selling Canadian gardening author as seen on TV, radio, online and print.

MarkCullen4
2 Mar

Was a pleasure visiting with our #tree loving friends @TonyDiGiovanni1 and @MarkCullen4 today @vinelandrsrch!

Reply on Twitter 1631375315615318018 Retweet on Twitter 1631375315615318018 1 Like on Twitter 1631375315615318018 10 Twitter 1631375315615318018
19 Feb

Increase biodiversity in your yard with these tips from Mark and Ben Cullen. @MarkCullen4

http://ow.ly/u2sE50MVwTA

Reply on Twitter 1627294471200116736 Retweet on Twitter 1627294471200116736 1 Like on Twitter 1627294471200116736 4 Twitter 1627294471200116736
10 Feb

Excited to meet with Mark Cullen and Tony DiGiovanni today to learn more about the Trees for Life Program and how Less Mess can help!

Reply on Twitter 1624161096243240976 Retweet on Twitter 1624161096243240976 4 Like on Twitter 1624161096243240976 6 Twitter 1624161096243240976
12 Jan

This was a great way to start the new year. Congratulations, Landscape Ontario, on this milestone! Thanks to all who made it happen. We’re looking forward to the next one.

#TreesForLife #Congress #LOCongress #ClimateAction #GoGreen #HOHTC

Reply on Twitter 1613670790612017153 Retweet on Twitter 1613670790612017153 5 Like on Twitter 1613670790612017153 5 Twitter 1613670790612017153

Comments are closed.

About Mark and Ben


Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author & broadcaster and holds the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of Guelph and Dalhousie University.
More

Find Mark On

Sponsored Links

Highway of Heroes cullensfoods Share Agriculture Foundation Harrowsmith
© Mark Cullen. Go to top ↑