Want a live Florida-fresh Christmas tree in your home this year? You have choices! Whether you grow your own or choose it from a grower or tree lot, here are a few ideas and tips…
- Grow your own in a pot and move it inside for the holiday. It can take some time to grow from seedling, but it’s a fun project and the family bond with the tree will be strong! You can grow a smaller tree in a moveable planter and reuse it until it outgrows its welcome (or ability to squeeze through the door), or plant a new tree every year so the family always has one of suitable size each Christmas. It takes about 6 years to grow a well-shaped 6-8 foot tree.
- Purchase a Florida-grown tree from a tree farm or one of their resellers. Because it’s grown close to home and requires less fuel to get from field to family, it’s good for the environment to buy locally. Kids love a trip to the farm to choose and cut their own tree. Jupiter’s Tree Towne has been putting smiles on kids’ faces for over 30 years. Hobe Sound Farmer’s Market located near Bridge Road and I-95 sells trees, wreaths, ornaments, and local produce. Before you go, be sure to measure floor-to-ceiling space and add in the height of the stand.
Churches, nonprofits, and big box stores are a sensible alternative for a one-season take-home tree. Even if you buy from Lowe’s or Home Depot, you are still supporting local growers because the big box stores buy local trees to lower their transportation costs and deliver fresh product. Expect to spend $50 – $90 in 2020. Buying from a church or nonprofit is a wonderful way to expand your Christmas charity and do good for another family or cause.
Do you know how to test a tree’s freshness? Use smell and touch. Reach inside the tree and gently grasp a branch, then pull your hand toward you. If no needles fall off, it’s fresh! Smell the needles. The more aroma the fresher the tree! If you can’t smell anything, choose another tree.
IMPORTANT! Be sure the diameter of the trunk fits your stand. Christmas trees drink water through the cambium layer under the bark at the base of the tree. If the trunk is trimmed down to fit a stand, you cut off the source of the tree’s life-giving water. Hint: Take your stand with you when tree shopping.
From the Jenkins Family to yours, best wishes for joy and love this Christmas season.