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Though it seems Christmas decorations have been on display in stores since the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving weekend marks the traditional beginning of the season. Time to untangle those lights, dust off the 12-foot inflatable snowglobe your neighbors have come to love and load up the family for a trip to the Christmas tree farm.
But from the moment you tag that perfect tree to the day it ends up on the sidewalk, there are a few things your expert Kent County conifer farmers want you to remember.
1. Buy a fresh one.
“You need to by it fresh-cut here in Delaware. If you buy it at Walmart it’s been cut for probably two months. If you buy it fresh, it will hold its needles better, it’ll be greener and fresher and you’re going to have that great scent. It’s going to be a much better value and you’ll be supporting your local economy.”
- Cheryl Epps, Loblolly Acres tree farm
2. Choose the right species of tree.
“The biggest seller in the nation is the Fraser fir, that’s the No. 1 tree. It’s the Fraser fir simply because it has such a pungent fragrance and it has a beautiful color with blue on the tops of needles and green underneath. Its needle retention is 97.9% — that makes it No. 1; when you can take it in your carpeted living room and it doesn’t shed any needles.
“The Norway spruce was at one time the top Christmas tree, it grows perfectly, it grows in tiers so it’s very well-balanced. Some people also like a white pine because the needles are very soft.”
- Bonnie Poynter, Poynter’s Tree Farm & Christmas Shop
3. Measure twice, cut once.
“The main thing is to know what size tree your room will take, and remember when you put it in the stand it will grow about a foot; some people forget that.
“If it’s too tall when you get it home, you can cut off from the base, but sometimes your limbs might not be symmetrical. And you don’t want to trim too much off the top — it ruins the shape of the whole tree. Also, make sure it can get through the front door or the back door and make sure you have a big enough vehicle to haul it.”
- Jack Egolf, E-Z Acres Tree Farm
Though it seems Christmas decorations have been on display in stores since the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving weekend marks the traditional beginning of the season. Time to untangle those lights, dust off the 12-foot inflatable snowglobe your neighbors have come to love and load up the family for a trip to the Christmas tree farm.
But from the moment you tag that perfect tree to the day it ends up on the sidewalk, there are a few things your expert Kent County conifer farmers want you to remember.
1. Buy a fresh one.
“You need to by it fresh-cut here in Delaware. If you buy it at Walmart it’s been cut for probably two months. If you buy it fresh, it will hold its needles better, it’ll be greener and fresher and you’re going to have that great scent. It’s going to be a much better value and you’ll be supporting your local economy.”
- Cheryl Epps, Loblolly Acres tree farm
2. Choose the right species of tree.
“The biggest seller in the nation is the Fraser fir, that’s the No. 1 tree. It’s the Fraser fir simply because it has such a pungent fragrance and it has a beautiful color with blue on the tops of needles and green underneath. Its needle retention is 97.9% — that makes it No. 1; when you can take it in your carpeted living room and it doesn’t shed any needles.
“The Norway spruce was at one time the top Christmas tree, it grows perfectly, it grows in tiers so it’s very well-balanced. Some people also like a white pine because the needles are very soft.”
- Bonnie Poynter, Poynter’s Tree Farm & Christmas Shop
3. Measure twice, cut once.
“The main thing is to know what size tree your room will take, and remember when you put it in the stand it will grow about a foot; some people forget that.
“If it’s too tall when you get it home, you can cut off from the base, but sometimes your limbs might not be symmetrical. And you don’t want to trim too much off the top — it ruins the shape of the whole tree. Also, make sure it can get through the front door or the back door and make sure you have a big enough vehicle to haul it.”
- Jack Egolf, E-Z Acres Tree Farm
4. Keep your tree hydrated at every stage.
“If you’re going to take the tree and cut it down today and not put it up until tomorrow, cut another slice off the butt so it won’t sap over; if it does, it won’t take water. Or, put it in a bucket of water right away if you can’t put it up for a couple days. And if you leave it in the bucket, cut off another slice then, too.
“The first three or four days are very critical. Keep the tree stand full of water, a tree will suck up a tremendous amount of water for three or four days.”
- Kevin Pinelli, Evergreen Farms
5. Mix your tree a healthy drink.
“We suggest people take one gallon of water and add six aspirin and a good cup of sugar. The aspirin is a buffer and the sugar will help feed the tree. You only have to do this one time and keep adding fresh water to that mix — it will make a big difference in keeping that tree fresh. You can buy things at the store and the ingredients are nothing more than sucrose and a buffer, everyone has those things at home.”
- John Schwalm, Shelterwood Farm
LOCAL TREE FARMS
Evergreen Farms*
2826 Seven Hickories Road, Dover
Phone: 734-2730
Open Fridays through Sundays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Christmas
E-Z Acres Tree Farm*
4468 Kenton Road, Cheswold
Phone: 674-4383
Open weekends through Christmas
Fischers’ Farm*
3975 Leipsic Road, Dover
Phone: 302-744-9786
Website: www.fischerschristmastrees.com
Open Fridays through Sundays 9 a.m. to dusk, also Dec. 21 to 23
Loblolly Acres tree farm
3893 Turkey Point Road, Woodside
Phone: 284-9255
Website: www.loblollyacres.com
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Christmas Eve
Poynter’s Tree Farm & Christmas Shop
13480 S. DuPont Highway, Felton
Phone: 284-4801
Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through noon, Christmas Eve
Shelterwood Farm
179 Tuxward Road, Hartly
Phone: 492-8071
Website: www.shelterwoodfarm.com
Open weekends Dec. 5 through Christmas
* These farms allow patrons to cut their own trees
Email Doug Denison at
doug.denison@doverpost.com.
