Tree Care

Selection and Care of Trees

The annual trip to Pine Lake Farm is often the beginning of the holiday season for many families.  The following hints may be helpful in selecting the perfect tree for your home and for caring for it in its new environment:

• Decide where you will place the tree.  Be sure to keep it away from heat sources such as fireplaces, furnace vents, and direct sunlight.

• Choose a tree appropriate to the place where it will be displayed.  If the tree is placed in front of a large window, it should have four good sides.  If it will stand against a wall, three good sides would be satisfactory.  A tree with two good sides will work in a corner.

• Measure the height and width of the chosen space in the room.  It may be helpful to bring a tape measure with you to the tree field.

• Once the tree is at home, place it in water as soon as possible.  If it's been more than three hours since it was cut, make a fresh 1" cut before placing it in water.

• If necessary, the tree may be placed in a bucket of water and stored for up to a few days in a garage or other area out of the wind and freezing temperatures.

• When the tree is brought indoors, place it in a sturdy stand that holds at least a gallon of water or a minimum of one quart per inch of the trunk's diameter.

• Check the stand daily to keep the water level above the base of the tree.  If the base dries out, it will no longer absorb water, and the tree will dry out.

• The temperature of the water in the tree stand is not important and does not affect the water uptake.