Your
YARD AND GARDEN

Dave Robson

The best way to select a fresh tree is to visit a local Christmas tree farm. In most cases, customers pick out the desired tree and the owner cuts the tree. However, if no tree farms are available you can still select a fresh tree from a garden center, discount store or corner lot.

There are five steps for selecting a fresh tree. None of the steps should be used separately to determine a fresh tree.

1 .Look at the tree's color. Fresh evergreens have a bright green color. Color can vary with the year. Seasons with early frosts or hot, dry summers can result in off-colored needles. Yellowed needles also may be an indicator of a tree cut in October.

Jack and Scotch pine trees tend to yellow in the fall. Colorants may be sprayed on the tree to mask this undesirable color. Look carefully at the needles to see if any colorants are used.

2. A fresh tree will have an evergreen odor. Grab a few needles in your hand and lightly squeeze. Smell your hand. Does it smell like a pine forest?

Low temperatures reduce the tree's aroma. If temperatures are below 20 degree Fahrenheit, don't expect too much evergreen scent.

3. Needles should be flexible on a fresh tree, provided the temperatures are above 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grab a handful of needles and carefully bend back. Needles should be flexible on a fresh tree. If they snap and break, select another tree. Any needle will break if snapped too far.

At low temperatures, water remaining in the needles can freeze. The ice crystals provide some inner strength. The result is the needles snap.

4. The cut or butt end of a fresh tree will be sticky or sappy. Lift the tree up and look at it. Run your hand over the end to feel any resin drops.

Many lots recut trees after unloading from the distributor. The butt end will ooze some resin even if the tree was cut months before.

5. Needles should remain on a tree. Shake the tree and notice if needles cascade on the ground. Tap the butt end firmly on the ground several times. Do needles fall?

Remember, some older needles are likely to fall from the tree's interior. However, if more than a few needles fall, the tree probably is not fresh.

Be careful when performing any of these tests. Fresh needles will break if bent too far. Continually bouncing a tree on the ground will cause normally tight needles to fall.

Wait until you find the tree you want to buy before testing it. These practices can destroy the appearance of the tree for others who might visit the lot after you. Treat any tree as if you were the lot owner.

Finally, trees don't get fresher in the lot. Buy your tree early and store it in a cool garage or shed in a bucket of water until you are ready to decorate it.

Christmas tree light safety

• Inspect tree lights for cracked or loose sockets, exposed wires, and frayed, broken, and scorched insulation. As you unpack stored lights, take the time to check each set.

• Never use indoor lights outdoors.

• When placing outdoor lighting, make sure ladders are away from overhead power lines.

• Keep paper and tinsel away from hot lights.

• Don't overload home circuits with too many plugs or lights.

• Unplug all decorative lighting before going to bed.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois. You can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: 217-782-6515. E-MaiI.-robsond@idea.ag.uiuc.edu

6 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • DECEMBER 1996