Buy a Christmas Tree from a Tree Farm

When we start noticing Christmas tree sales spring up in shopping mall parking lots, at home and garden centers and near local convenience stores, everyone knows that Christmas is on its way!

In this age of the Internet, Christmas trees can even be ordered online.

While trees bought this way will still be beautiful, an alternative worth considering, depending upon your location, might be visiting a tree farm, and getting the tree right out of the ground!

Steps

 * 1)  Find a local Christmas tree farm. Ask around, or search the web for the phrase "Christmas tree farm" along with the name of your city or town. Call ahead to make sure the farm is open to the public.
 * 2)  Make your visit to the tree farm a family affair.  Consider it an outing, because many tree farms  usually supply many activities such as  wagon rides, as well as  special holiday treats. All of these make the entire process  enjoyable, exciting and memorable.
 * 3) Select your tree from those that are still thriving in the ground. Removing it at that moment will give you a really fresh tree.
 * 4)  Make sure the tree you buy will fit comfortably in the room and location you have chosen to set it up.  Use a tape measure if necessary.  Check the bottom of the tree to make sure there is  enough space between the end and the lowest branches to make a slightly diagonal fresh cut.
 * 5) Inspect the tree you choose to determine if it appears green and healthy with a fragrant smell and moist, flexible needles. Make sure there is no  evidence of drying or browning.  Avoid  trees with broken branches or damaged bark.  Bounce the tree lightly on its cut end if you can, and  shake it. This will usually result in an inevitable little sprinkling of pine needles, but if this results in a shower of needles then  look around a little more.

Tips

 * Cutting an extra quarter inch off the bottom before mounting your tree will greatly help water absorption and ensure your tree lasts as long as possible. Be sure to make this final cut just before placing it in water.  If it is exposed to the air for too long, the vessels will become blocked.
 * When living in a tropical environment, try to find a tree that was grown in warm weather. The tree will be used to the heat and will last longer.
 * When choosing a tree farm, try to find one that will let you leave the tree in the ground until you are ready to set it up and decorate it. Some farms may let you pick a tree as early as the 1st weekend in November, much too early to put it up.  The farm marks the tree as sold and you can go back to pick it up at your convenience. Be warned, however, that some people don't honor your marking, and your tree might be gone when you come back for it.
 * If you live in a colder zone, when you bring the tree home, leave it in the garage for a few days to acclimate the tree to the warmer inside temperature.
 * Set your tree as far away from a heat source (radiator, fireplace) as you can.
 * Measure your space before you leave home: it's easier to let the farm's staff cut your tree to size, if necessary.
 * Your tree will look much smaller outside than it really is. Take a reference stick along: Stand on the floor of your room with a broom or yard stick held high over your head so it touches the ceiling. Mark how high your hand can reach on the stick. Do the same thing with your chosen tree to see if it's the perfect height. Remember you will likely trim a bit from the top branch for your star and a bit from the bottom for freshness. Allow for tree stand height and you can often get the perfect size.
 * Walk all the way around the tree and visualize how it will look in your spot. The branches will tend to drop over the first couple days from upward sweeping to straight out, exposing some bare spots and sharing more of your room!
 * Tree will keep fresher if you never let it go dry. Put it up right away and keep it watered constantly.
 * Invest in a good tree stand.

Warnings

 * Do not wait too long to purchase your tree, or the best ones will have already been sold. If you're not ready to set up your tree early, you can keep it in a bucket of water in the garage until the time is right.
 * Check for anything that may have chosen your tree as a home (spiders, small animals, etc.) before you bring it in your house.
 * Be careful not to over-trim your tree before installing it in your house. A few artful cuts can quickly turn into a hack-job.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Start a Tree Farm
 * How to Care for Orchids
 * How to Care for a Christmas Cactus
 * How to Plant a Living Christmas Tree
 * How to Care for a Christmas Tree
 * How to Care for a Living Christmas Tree
 * How to Care for a Bromeliad
 * How to Shape a Living Pine Tree
 * How to Celebrate Christmas
 * How to Cat Proof Your Christmas Tree
 * How to Make a Christmas Card Star
 * How to Have a Happy Holiday Season
 * How to Have a Christmas Party
 * How to Have a Green Christmas
 * How to Decorate a Contemporary Christmas Tree

Sources and Citations

 * Tree Farms Original source of this article. Shared with permission.