Tip of the Day: Picking—and replanting—a Christmas tree

More than 31 million cut Christmas trees were sold in the United States last year. And while the vast majority of them were recycled after the holiday, you can make your Noel greener by buying a live tree that you plant outdoors after the holidays. Using energy-efficient LED holiday lights is another deed that could get you on the "nice" side of Santa's ledger.

Another reason to buy a live tree? "You'll beautify your yard, and trees can make your house cooler in summer by providing shade and warmer in the winter by blocking winds," says Jessica Arcate, a curator of trees and shrubs at the at the New York Botanical Garden.

When you're shopping for a live or cut tree—as my daughter's doing in the photo, right—don't buy one whose needles come off easily when you run your hand down a branch or if branches snap off when bent, says Rick Dungey, public-relations manager for the National Christmas Tree Association. But, he adds, "if you shop when it's really cold out, don't mistake a frozen tree for one that's dried out. When you snap open the branch of a frozen tree, it'll still be green on the inside."

For a cut tree, "make a fresh cut in the base of the tree and get it into water within three to six hours of buying it. And during the holidays, never let the water level fall below the cut surface," says Dungey. Live Christmas trees on the other hand, require slightly different handling:

• If you live in a cold climate, keep a live tree in a protected space like a shed or garage for a few days. Once you bring it inside, place the tree as far as possible from direct sources of heat.

• During the holiday, keep the balled-and-burlapped root pack moist. This will not only help the tree survive but will also eliminate a safety risk. "Dry-out is a huge fire hazard with all trees," says Carolyn Cairns, a product-safety program leader with Consumer Reports. "The critical thing is to keep the tree moist." ("'Tis the Season to Avoid Folly" will help you avoid holiday dangers and provides candle-safety tips.)

• If you live in a warm climate, plant the tree as soon as you can after the holiday.

• If you live in a cold climate, keep the tree alive in an unheated indoor space and plant it in mid-March. If you can't do this, Arcate recommends using some hoop-framed shelters covered with plastic sheeting to protect your tree from winter winds.

    Ideally, you would have dug a planting hole in the fall before the ground froze. (It could still be frozen when you plant it in March.) But if you haven't already, dig the hole during a thaw, covering it with leaves and burlap.

• Before you plant, prune the roots so that they won't grow out in a circular pattern. Plant the tree only to the depth where the first roots branch out from the trunk. Backfill the hole with the soil you excavated.

• Remember to leave enough space for the tree to grow. "Some trees will grow very large, so you'll need a decent-size garden. Some of the Fraser firs we planted here a century ago have reached 70 feet, although they do tend to slow down a bit when they reach that height." Arcate says. "An Alberta spruce is a better choice if you want a smaller tree."

If you don't want to or can't buy a tree to replant, don't feel guilty. "Christmas-tree growers replant trees and rotate crops in their fields, which also provide habitat for animals and remove carbon dioxide from and put oxygen back into the air," Arcate says.—Gian Trotta

Comments

[Barry]

We've been looking through everything tagged 'holidays,' 'Christmas,' but can't find any ratings or discussion of a good, safe Christmas tree stand -one that holds the tree trunk solidly in place!

I'm sure other people have had this problem. The stands either can't hold a tree without becoming prone to tipping over, won't hold the tree solidly in place, or will not adjust to hold a tree straight upright. The safety issues are self-evident: a tree tipping over onto a curious or just rambunctious child or pet; broken glass lights and decorations on the floor, etc.