Picture of the Week: Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree…

Truly a beautifully decorated tree…Marine Park’s very own Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree? Well thus far anyway…
Filed in Christmas, Holidays, Homeowners, Picture of the Week | One response so far
Nov.28.2009
by admin
Christmas Arrives in Marine Park
Christmas has arrived in Marine Park, in the form of truckload of Christmas Tress in the Avenue U parking lot in Marine Park.
Every year they setup and sell Christmas Trees of all sizes as well as all of the accessories and other Christmas items that you could possibly think of.
Currently, they are organizing all of their trees by size and pricing. Prices range from $25 to $225.
Here are some tips in selecting a good live Christmas tree! (via PickYourOwnChristmasTree.org)
- Get a healthy tree – Don’t buy a tree that is losing green needles, or has dry, brittle twigs or a sour, musty smell. Excessive needle loss can be detected by vigorously shaking the tree, or dropping it onto the end of the trunk several times from a height of about 1 ft (30 cm). The loss of old dead needles from the inside of the tree does not indicate that there is a problem with the tree. Mechanical shakers can remove these needles, and reduce the potential for a mess inside the home.
- Size of the tree – Do not buy a tree that is too large for the area where it will be displayed. Aside from paying more than necessary, up to $10 per ft (30 cm) of height, you will have to cut off a large section of the lower trunk, and possibly the lower whorl of branches. This might ruin the appearance of the lower part of the tree.
- Bottom of the tree – Note the location of large branches at the bottom of the tree. Be sure that the handle is long enough to allow display of the tree without cutting off the lower whorl of large branches. USDA grading rules specify trees should have a handle 1 to 12 in (2.5 to 3.8 cm) long per ft (30 cm) of height. However, some species are routinely sold without pruned handles, eg, Fraser fir.
- Shaking the tree – When purchasing a tree from a choose-n-cut farm, have the producer mechanically ‘shake’ the tree, if possible. This will eliminate dead, loose needles, especially in species such as Virginia pine, white pine, Scotch pine and red cedar. There is less potential mess to reach the home.
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