From: Leigh, Linda
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 6:50 PM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: Didn't get our stump cut - let it go?
Hi there,
We have two young children and since they were causing a ruckus at the tree lot, my husband boldly grabbed a tree and headed for the register. Fortunately, it is a lush and gorgeous tree. The unfortunate part is that we’ve realized that we should’ve had a fresh cut done at the bottom. How critical is this? We’ve already decorated the tree, but since there are still a few weeks to go, is it worth it for us to take it down and make that fresh cut?
Thank you very much in advance for your help. (What a great resource you are to us tree novices!)
Linda
Hi Linda.
Well, the bad news is, yes -- you really should make a fresh cut off the stump. It only needs to be about 1/4 or 1/2 inch. This opens up the plant tissue in the cambium layer which move water molecules up the tree. When exposed to air for long periods of time (generally more than 4-6 hours), the cut surface will absorb air molecules into the plant tissue and this inhibits the tree's ability to move water. It might still absorb some water, but to maximize it, a fresh cut should be made.
I know that can be a pain if it's already decorated, but it's not as hard as it seems. Remove the water in the stand with a turkey baster or a shop-vac attachment, then remove ornaments, but you can leave the light strings on. Then simply tip the tree on it's side on top of an old blanket or sheet, remove the stand, make a fresh cut, vaccuum up with a shop-vac, re-attach the stand, set upright and fill with plain tap water again. Maybe you can have a re-decorating party this weekend and make some lemonade from this particular "lemon" situation.
From: Leigh, Linda
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 7:58 AM
To: Rick Dungey
Subject: RE: Didn't get our stump cut - let it go?
Thank you so much for the recommendation. We made the fresh cut and it has been drinking up water!! We look forward to enjoying this beautiful tree for the next few weeks.
Glad to hear it. Merry Christmas!
From: Jan E Blake
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 1:06 PM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: Blog Talk Ideas
Thanks for the blog info! We found it most educational, but still have a question or two:
- Should we add anything to our tap water to help a cut tree last longer? Corn syrup? Sugar? Plant food? We've heard all three at different times.
- Could one add food coloring to the water to increase greenness in the needles?
Looking forward to your reply...............
Jan and Susan Blake
Nope...don't add anything to the water. Plant pathologists have actually done many controlled studies on moisture retention and needle retention over the years with various ingredients in the water absorbed by the tree. Nothing has ever been shown to improve either water uptake or needle retention over just plain tap water. If you put sugar, corn syrup or fertilizer (plant food which is basically nitrogen) or any other organic matter in the water stand, it will simply make your tree water smell bad.
Needles are green from chlorophyll, a chemical produced via photosynthesis. Food coloring will only make the water green, not the tree's foliage.
From: Paige Rivera
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 12:19 PM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: FAQ Addition
Importance: High
Are you able to confirm or deny the following statement relating to Christmas tree stands:
“Metal stands cause trees to dry out and become flammable”.
I read it in a list of Holiday Safety Tips recently. I can’t find anything that suggests that there is a problem with metal stands per se…Maybe it could mean that metal stands might be smaller in general and not able to hold enough water?
Thanks for any help you are able to provide.
That's a preposterous statement. Water molecules are not altered if water is in a metal container, or plastic container or glass container, etc.
From: Rodney Johnson
Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 7:39 PM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: Tree Needles and Fragrance
5 days ago (at the time of this writing) I purchased a Grand Fir. Cut the base, but I didn't place it in a bucket of water for 24hrs before setting it in a large base stand that holds 1 1/2 gallons of water. I used cold water. For the first 3days I enjoyed a strong, but pleasant fragrance of pine through-out the home. On day 4 I notice the tree was no longer centered. I removed the tree to reposition it in the base. Now , on day 5, the strong fragrance has diminished unless I am right next to the tree and I'm noticing the tips of the needles on several branches are brown or browning and water level dropped very slightly. I have kept the home between 58 to 65f degrees, tree is at the sliding glass doors for display, the closest heat vent is closed and I haven't decorated the tree. The needles are not falling excessively unless I give it a good firm shake, and they don't feel brittle, but not as soft when first set in stand.
Other sight factors that may help your determination are;
- the needle "pores"(?) on the branches are very visible and appear to be white. (think of your skin when it gets very cold the tiny little "goose" bumps...) That’s the appearance
- on some of the very end of the branches there seems to be a dry substance it also is white.
Please help as this is my first live tree and my three year old daughter is excited about putting decorating it on Sunday.
R. Eugene Johnson
Hello Mr. Johnson.
Well, first on the subject of smell...smell is completely subjective, so there's no way I (or anyone) could tell you there is less "smell" in your house now than there was 5 days ago. For me, I notice that any smell gets less noticeable to me over time. For example, I don't even notice the air freshener in my car, but if someone else gets in my car they always say "I can smell the air freshener."
Now, the issue of water uptake is of a concern. I would have recommended cutting another think disk off the bottom just before placing in the water holding stand. This opens up the plant tissue in the cambium layer which move water molecules up the tree. When exposed to air for long periods of time (generally more than 4-6 hours), the cut surface will absorb air molecules into the plant tissue and this inhibits the tree's ability to move water. It might still absorb some water, but to maximize it, a fresh cut should be made.
From: Jamie & Dianne
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 5:56 AM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: Blog Talk Ideas
Our tree was put up on the evening of December 9th. Twelve hours later water in the stand was dry. So we took our tree down and cut the bottom of it off and put it back up. Now it doesn't seem to want to take in any of the water. Is this normal? I would like our tree to last until New Year's Day and am worried that it won't.
The tree will absorb the most water in the initial 1 or 2 days as it rehydrates up to 98% capacity. If it took up water initially, then it should be fine. The amount of water taken up will slow down, speed up, all kinds of fluctuations, not be the same amount every day for the next 4 weeks. Let the tree itself be the indicator of dryness, not the rate of daily water uptake. Check branches and needles for signs of dryness about every 3-4 days.
Now for some “not so common” questions:
From: Terry Morrison
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 4:07 PM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: Blog Talk Ideas
Just wanted to run this by you to see if you have ever heard of anything similar...I struggled with a natural pine tree to get it standing for a few hours...It was a real prickly tree and I ended up having to wear gloves as I had received many scratches and prickles.
Maybe 4 hours after putting up the tree I felt really tired and went to bed . That night I suffered flu like symptoms for the night , cold , sweating , every part of my body aching. The funny thing was that I did not have a head cold and my head felt fine it was like as if I had no control over my body.
I also got sick at one stage...24 hours later I seem to be back to normal with no flu like symptoms.
Very strange and just wondering if you have come across this before as the only thing out of the norm that day was putting up the Christmas tree
Terry
I'm not a doctor, but it sounds like you had a 24 hour flu bug. Influenza is caused by a virus, not by a Christmas Tree.
From: storm gh
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 12:34 PM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: sales enquires
Hello,
With much regards am Mark Williams and wish to buy some artificial xmas tree from you, am interested in the 10 feet , kindly let me know the prices of it and also let me know if you take extra on master or vias cards. waiting to read from you soon.
Regards,
Mark Williams
Sorry Mark. Can't help you. We think artificial trees are a bad product. Our members produce and sell natural, farm-grown Christmas Trees.
(Note: it’s almost as if this guy didn’t read anything on the web site before sending that email.)
From: cari.hilger@thomson.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 12:28 AM
To: info@realchristmastrees.org
Subject: Crackling Douglas fir Christmas tree
I bought a Douglas Fir on Saturday and now it is crackling! What is that noise? The lights are off and it is still making a crackling noise.
I have surfed the web and others are experiencing the same thing too but no one has the answer as to why the tree is crackling! I know this sounds crazy but can you help?
Sincerely,
Cari
hmmm...well Cari, I gotta admit...that's a new one for me. I can't even begin to imagine what is causing a crackling noise, at least anything biologically with the tree.
Is there anything unusual on the tree?
Is there anything unusual in the water in the stand?
Did you check all the lights / wires for frays or cracks before putting on the tree?
I'm not sure what else I can think to check.
From: cari.hilger@thomson.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 8:09 PM
To: Rick Dungey
Subject: RE: Crackling Douglas fir Christmas tree
I actualy found another website where many other people are experiencing the same thing. Here is the website www.realtrees4kids.org/faq.htm The comments are at the bottom of the page.
I thought I was crazy until I read about people experiencing the exact same thing I experienced. I hear it when the tree is lit or not lit. It has regular water. however, I don't think the tree is taking the water because I put water in Sunday and Monday the water level was still the same! Bad sign right? You should just read the comments people are making on this website. It is exactly what I am talking about. Weird!!! That website also had no answer. If you ever do find an answer, I would love to hear it. Really bizarre. The biggest fear I have is that it is bug infested or something.
Thanks so much for emailing me back!
I'll be darned. That's actually the online school curriculum that NCTA offers. Their expert team, whom answers questions directly from students and teachers, is a different group than me, but it seems we're both stumped.
I would suspect any bug big enough to make a noise you can hear is also big enough to see.
Creaking of wood tissue as the branches settle sounds logical. I'm going to ask a few people who grow a LOT of Douglas-fir also, and if I learn anything enlightening, I'll pass it along.
Rick
The main blog contributor is Rick Dungey, who works as Public Relations
Manager for the National Christmas Tree Association. Other people on the
NCTA staff and members of NCTA will also contribute posts. Rick has
answered media and consumer inquiries for NCTA for more than 9 years. You
are welcome to send responses or questions to the blog, but be aware that
not all posts will be made public and all will be reviewed prior to
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We look forward to your input – if you have a question or comment to share, send it to info@realchristmastrees.org
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