Live Christmas Trees
Live Christmas trees are my favorite part of the holiday season. I love sipping a cup of coffee by the tree with its twinkling lights in the early morning. The hunt for the perfect tree is so much fun, and I love the fresh Christmas smell that comes with having a live tree. If you want to try out a fresh Christmas tree this year, here are a few tips for selecting and maintaining your tree.
Selection: Christmas trees come in a variety of sizes, so be sure to measure your space where the tree will be kept. My family let me pick out the tree one year and we could barely get it in the door because it was so tall and wide. It was the best Christmas tree ever!
Check your tree for freshness. The needles should be fresh and flexible and should not come off in your hand. The branches should also be pliable. The tree is too dry if the needles and branches are brittle.
Maintenance: A live Christmas tree is very easy to keep fresh for several weeks. The most important rule is to supply plenty of water.
A traditional reservoir type tree stand is the best way to display your tree and maintain freshness. Be sure it will hold plenty of water. As a rule, stands should provide one quart of water per inch of stem diameter. Check the water level daily.
Use a stand that fits your tree and avoid whittling down the sides or drilling holes in the trunk. When you bring your tree home, cut a half inch disc off the bottom of the trunk and place it in water as soon as possible.
Keep your tree away from major sources of heat such as fireplaces and heat vents. Lowering the temperature of the room and using lights that produce low heat will slow the drying process.
Always inspect your lights before you place them on the tree and be careful not to overload the electrical circuits. Turn off the lights when you leave the house or go to bed.
Poinsettias
Poinsettias are a colorful addition to your Christmas décor, and I love having indoor flowering plants during the winter months. Poinsettia is a native plant of Mexico that was first introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Robert Poinsett. Poinsett served as the first US Ambassador to Mexico, and he discovered the plants growing in Taxco, Mexico. Poinsett was also a botanist, and he sent plants to his greenhouses in Greenville, South Carolina. Now, poinsettias are one of the most important floriculture crops in Texas.
Selection: To find the best poinsettia, look for plants with dense, plentiful foliage all the way down to the stem. Poinsettias come in a variety of colors from the traditional red to white, pink, peach, yellow, or marbled. Look for plants with mature and fully colored bracts (the colorful part of the poinsettia).
Choose a plant with stiff stems and good bract and leaves. Avoid signs of wilting, breaking, or drooping. A poinsettia needs its space, so be careful about buying one that has been in a paper or plastic sleeve for long.
Maintenance: Poinsettias thrive in at least six hours of indirect light daily and temperatures between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid placing the plants near drafts or heat sources.
Poinsettias require moderately moist soil. Water the plant when the soil surface is dry to the touch. Remove the plant from a decorative pot or cover and water enough to saturate the soil. Do not let the poinsettia sit in water. Poinsettias are susceptible to root rot when they are overwatered.
Poinsettias can be kept after the holidays. Keep them in indirect light and water regularly. You can move your plants outdoors once the nighttime temperatures average 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The bracts will age and lose their appeal in the spring, but just cut them back to about eight inches. Continue to water and use a complete fertilizer. You might need to transplant the poinsettia into a bigger pot. Prune to keep the plants bushy and compact, but do not prune after September 1. The poinsettia will set buds in the fall as the nights lengthen, and the plants should bloom in November or December.
