Care And Disposal Of Christmas Trees

43. Care and Disposal of Christmas Trees

Since so much time and effort is put into selecting the perfect Christmas

tree, it follows that similar consideration should also be given to giving the

tree the best possible care. Otherwise, there will be disappointment if needles

start to brown or turn yellow, or branches begin to break with days or weeks to

go before the season is over. Safety is also an important reason to take proper

care of your Christmas tree because a drying Christmas tree also presents a

grave danger as a fire hazard. The average Christmas tree should last for about

five to six weeks if the proper care is given to it.

After selecting a Christmas tree and getting it home, the first thing that

should be done is to make a fresh cut and place it into a stand with water. A

Christmas tree shouldn't be mounted dry and the water in its stand should be

replenished regularly. A fresh cut is made by cutting about an inch off the

bottom in a slight diagonal shape to help the absorption of water. If a fresh

cut isn't going to be made immediately after getting the tree home, it should be

placed in a container with water and left to stand in a shaded area that is away

from the wind.

If a fresh cut isn't made and the Christmas tree is left exposed to air, the

vessels for transporting water can become blocked. If this happens, another

fresh cut can correct the problem and the tree would need to be immediately put

in a container with water.

Your Christmas tree should be secure in its stand and it should be placed

away from open flames or sources of heat such as furnaces, fireplaces and air

vents, all of which may dry it out. Decoration of the tree should also begin

after it has been mounted in its stand. Several decoration precautions should be

taken to lessen or avoid the Christmas tree being a fire hazard.

Ornaments that have an open flame or candles should never be used for

decoration. Christmas tree lights should be checked to make sure the bulbs are

working properly, the connections are intact and that no part of the cord is

damaged. If there appears to be any exposed wiring or bulbs that are not working

or which are working intermittently, that string of Christmas tree lights

shouldn't be used.

A good Christmas tree stand should be selected since water is the most

important item to getting the longest life out of your Christmas tree. In

selecting a stand, find out the amount of water it can hold when a tree is

placed in it. Some water will be displaced from the space taken up by the base

of the tree so it is important that a selection is not made based on the total

volume of water the stand can hold.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, the average Christmas tree

may absorb up to one gallon of water each day. It is therefore important to

check the water everyday and replenish it accordingly. To make sure your

Christmas tree gets enough water, the Association recommends that one quart of

water is required for each inch of the diameter of the tree's trunk.

After Christmas is over and your wonderfully decorated Christmas tree has

provided much joy, it is important to remove it before it dries out. Options to

discard your Christmas will likely depend on the services offered by your

municipality. Some municipalities will pick up Christmas trees on particular

days, with a cut-off date. Some towns may require that residents take their

trees to specific locations, while in others Christmas trees will be picked up

with the garbage, again up to a certain date. But Christmas trees should never

be burned in the fireplace as it can cause the build up of creosote, a

colorless, oily substance.

There's also the choice that you can continue to get a different use from your

Christmas tree by cutting it to pieces yourself and be environmentally sensitive

by using it for mulch.