Picking out a fresh Christmas tree this month? Great! The tree experts at Geist Nursery can guide you in choosing the best one for your family.
Here’s what to know about our trees:
- First, no need to feel bad about buying that fresh cut Christmas tree. These days, the best tree farms are all about helping the environment.
- The trees we buy are grown from saplings in organic conditions on beautiful tree farm just across the state line, in Ohio.
- While the Fraser and Canaan firs are growing, they are trimmed and shaped yearly. Annual trimming keeps the tree thriving and healthy. What’s trimmed away is mulched and plowed right back into the soil.
- Once the trees are about 8 years old (older for larger trees) they are cut down to make room for new saplings. Our grower immediately wraps bundles them, gives them a good watering before they are loaded into trucks. Then they are shipped to organic nurseries like ours within the week to guarantee freshness.
- Nothing is wasted! The remaining fir root systems are harvested, shredded, mulched, then plowed right back into the soil next spring, providing fertile soil full of nitrogen for the next grove of young trees.
Choose between 2 exceptionally beautiful fir species:
Fraser firs are dark green or blue-green in color. Generally more green on top and silvery underneath. They have flattened needles 1/2 to 1 inch long, known for good needle retention.
- Named for a botanist, John Fraser, who discovered them in the southern Appalachians in the late 1700’s and was taken by their fragrance and shape. Fraser firs are well known today for their classic piney, Christmassy smell and their classical pyramid-shape.
- They are also known for their strong branches which turn slightly upward.
- They only grow in cooler climates; at higher, hilly elevations, on north-facing slopes.
Canaan Firs are hardy firs, also known for their color and lovely shape.
- Canaan have short, softer needles that are dark green on the upper surface and silvery blue on the underside.
- Canaan trees are know for their densely compact branches. This density helps them retain moisture and helps produce their beautiful shape.
- The Canaan is a hybrid fir tree, grown to combines the strong fragrance of the classic Balsam Fir with the better needle retention of the Fraser fir.
- Canaans are also grown in hilly and mountainous regions, from West Virginia, Ohio, and across the east coast
Which one is ideal for your home?
Each species is a little different. If you have children, you might lean toward firs with softer needles, rather than spruce trees, which have sharp needles that hurt when you step on them
- When choosing your tree, check for freshness. The trunk should have a light stickiness to it.
- Bend a needle in half with your fingers. Fresh firs should bend and not break.
- Make sure that that first foot of trunk is straight to stand up correctly in your tree stand. The trunk should not be visible through the foliage.
- Step back 5 to 8 feet and check the tree from several angles.
- Make sure to allow 6” of clearance between your ceiling and the tree for tree toppers. (Allow another 2 to 3 inches for the stand itself).
At Geist nursery, we’ll help you make your selection, then cut the end off the trunk, bale it in netting, then load it in your vehicle.
So all you have to do when you get home is to put it in water for a couple of hours, then put it in it’s tree stand, ready for decorating!