12 things to know before buying a Christmas tree, according to sellers
Before buying your Christmas tree this year, get the spoon inside those who sell them.
For those who celebrate Christmas, the tree is typically the centerpiece the most sweetheart of the party.Decorate a Christmas tree Mark the holiday season is a tradition thatSee you in the 16th century Germany with the Americans adopting custom as early as the 1800s. But despite the centuries we have dedicated collectively to dress our Douglases, there is still a lot to say that many people do not know how to buy a Christmas tree ... Even S 'They do it every year. Before going out and spending your money this holiday season, discover the following secrets of Christmas tree sellers that they do not give up too easily.
1 Look for trees with broken peaks to mark a transaction.
If you want a real Christmas tree for the season but you can not afford to pay a top dollar, try to mark a business.David Daniken, withDaniken Tree farm In Illinois, says you should ask your seller if they have trees with hatred tops. Since most of the Christmas tree is devoted to what the top of the tree seems perfect, a broken summit "cuts the value of the tree of about 25 to 33%," says Daniken. In addition, if the rest of the tree is curved, your tire will hide this flaw!
2 Save money by buying your tree in mid-December and weekdays.
According toMarket watchIf you do not mind waiting for the last half of the month of December o Bridge Halls, you could save a ton of money on your Christmas tree. About 90% of trees are sold at the second weekend of December, try to visit your supplier on Tuesdays or Wednesday, after that, when companies are slower and the best offers are offered.
3 Bigger is not necessarily better.
Get a big tree can give a very happy tone for holidays and if you have space, go to town. Your Christmas tree provider will probably be more than happy to sell you the biggest tree they can. But remember that bigger can always be better. You must take into account an extra space needed for your tree and tree holder, that Daniken Notes usually add at least 12 inches to the shaft height.
Also keep in mind that when your tree settles after you lose it at home, the branches will fall into a wider position. Daniken urges customers to measure the dimensions - the height and width of the space they plan to devote to a tree before doing shopping and stick to a good amount of space, leaving a good Quantity of space because "Have your TIRE-top scrapping the ceiling is extra sticky. "
4 You can buy live trees online.
Your Christmas tree provider works tirelessly during the selling season. It would not be quite their advantage to announce to its customers that these days, there is a very nice selection of live trees that you can buy online. In fact, you can buySome on AmazonWhere they are marked and shipped directly to you, give you more time spending time with a hot book and cocoa and less time hanging around a 50 pound plant of SAP.
5 These hydration products are really bad for your tree.
Beware of the Christmas tree provider that tries to sell you on hydration gels or powders to add to your Christmas tree stand. There is nothing you have to add to your tree but the water, saysTwyla nash ofElgin Christmas Tree Farm in Texas. TheNational Association of Christmas Trees (NCTA) also says that not only are these commercial options are ineffective to retain moisture, they generally contain additives that are really harmful to the health and longevity of your tree.
6 If they do not reduce your tree, it will not last.
If you buy your tree and the supplier does not make a new cut of the base, they sell you short. The ACTA says that without re-cut, the trees are not able to absorb water at the necessary rate: about a quarter a day, on average and will have a much shorter life.
7 This iconic cone form is not natural.
Whether you are Team Douglas or Team Fraser (fir, that is to say), everyone can all agree on one thing: the ideal tree is green and lustrous with pines that form a perfect conical shape. But if you think this shape naturally comes, think again. AsBen Butler ofButler orchard In Maryland told theAmerican Farm Foundation for AgricultureWhen a tree reaches between three and four feet tall, farmers start a strategic shear process they need to repeat each year until maturity. This process of shaping is done with a long and pointed knife and is what gives the tree soundemblematic Christmas look at the moment when he is fully cultivated.
8 Your tree is probably 10 years old.
The last thing your supplier wants to do is yourself culpoo from a tree, but did you know that your average Christmas tree of six or seven feetgrow up10 years Before his stay for a month in your living room? It is a decade battle with the elements and a decade relationship with the farmer tree, which thoroughly prunes and crushed each tree until reaching maturity. But all this effort is not for nothing: for each living tree harvested, farmers stand out on average one to three new seedlings.
9 Working conditions can be difficult.
If your Christmas tree seller is not the complaint type to customers, they will probably not talk about all the hard work that goes into the selling season. It's not all Christmas music and festive joy, especially in big cities. OpenTimes, the sellers travel hundreds of kilometers of home only to sleep in campers, trucks, hostels, or their store stalls for one month or more.
In addition to less numerous living arrangements than luxurious, the work itself can be exhausting. Sellers can spend hours at the end in the cold, lifting, grouping and sometimes delivery of heavy trees. A family business reported toInternal business community That every person takes a four-hour break every night to rest and is an average of $ 14 an hour for their efforts.
10 The industry is not as picturesque as you think.
Of course, many Christmas tree farms are small and family management, but that does not mean they are not part of a booming business sector. According toNCTA, Christmas tree farms employ about 100,000 people in all 50 states, which sold between 25 and 30 million trees, creating a wholebig Tree industry living in America.
11 Artificial trees are the enemy.
Chances are high your Christmas tree provider hate the artificial tree industry, but there is no denying that there are benefits to go plastic. A false tree is more economical over time and allows you to divert the strong lifting and sticky configuration associated with real Christmas trees. And if you demolish the Christmas scourge of your existence of your existence, you may want to learn that many artificial trees are now built without cordon, uniformly distributed and ready from many retailers like theNational tree of trees andBalsam hill.
Of course, you miss the tradition of buying your tree with a charming little seller and decorating if you go the pre-enlightened road. And yes, there are of course someVery valid environmental concerns Associated with PVC in false trees. But if it's a convenience, you are after - and you have the storage space for the other 11 months of the artificial trees of the year have their advantages.
12 Christmas tree providers need you.
At the end of the day, the truth is that without customers, the sale of Christmas trees would be obsolete. Nash urges customers to get out of the trees, even if the weather is bad or there could be a drought. After all, she says, "If customers do not support the farm, even in difficult times, the farm will not be able to continue cultivating Christmas trees."