How To Pick The Perfect Christmas Trees
Getting your family to agree on a tree is just part of the process of picking that perfect tree.
Black Friday is here, and many people who haven't already put up a tree will be going out today or this weekend to buy one. If you've had trouble picking a tree in the past or have suffered from a little buyer's remorse once you get the tree home, these tips from This Old House will help you pick the perfect tree for your family.
1 - Gently pinch any branch on the tree and pull toward yourself. If you end up with lots of needles, the tree is past is already past its prime.
2 - Crush a few needles in your hand and then sniff. If the scent isn't strong, avoid that tree.
3 - Grab the middle of the tree from the middle and bounce it on the ground a few times. If needles fall from the outside of the tree, it's not fresh.
4 - Make sure the tree fits your stand. Most tree farms will trim the trunk for you and attach the stand if you buy it from them.
5 - Once the tree is in its stand and up, add a lot of clean water and watch it often. A tree will drink a gallon of water in the first days that you water it. Make sure to watch that the water level doesn't get beneath the end where it was cut. Pitch will form and the tree won't be able to drink anymore water. This has happened to us before and the tree dies a lot faster.
Click here to see and read about the differences between balsam, Fraser, Douglas, and a number of other types of trees so you can decide which is best for you.