More on Christmas trees!

How to Keep a Live Christmas Tree Healthy pt 2

source: http://is.gd/IpzAuu

If you are like many people you like to have a real, live, Christmas tree during the holidays. Many people get frustrated that their tree doesn't last very long. Here are some tips that will keep your tree healthy for a longer period of time and how you can also keep the tree safe during the holiday season.

Buy a Fresh Tree

When you buy your Christmas tree, try to get a tree that has been recently cut so it’s as fresh as possible. Ask at the garden center or other place you buy your tree from about the condition of the tree. If you buy an older tree it will dry out quickly and you won’t get as much use out of it. Look at the needles on the tree before you buy and avoid trees that have a lot of brown spots as this indicates an older tree. Get the tree as green and as fresh as possible.

Water Often

Make sure the stand on your tree never gets dry. You’ll need to provide your tree with plenty of water which will help it from drying out. If needles are falling frequently this is an indication that the tree is too dry. The tree stand should hold at least one gallon of water for best results. Make sure you recut the tree about an inch above its base which will help it to absorb the water properly.

Avoid Overloading

Don’t overload the branches in ornaments as this can make the tree unstable. You want to be sure that you avoid putting ornaments on the weaker branches or just put on very light ornaments. Don’t put a heavy angel on the top of the tree unless the tree tip is very strong or it will break.

Avoid Lights That Get Hot

Most lights today don’t get hot but if you have some older ones these will still heat up quite a bit. LED lights are perfect for a live Christmas tree and you should use these. Make sure candies aren’t anywhere near the tree and don’t put any on the tree. Never use traditional real candles on your tree as this is just not safe at all.

Keep Away From All Flame Sources

Don’t put the tree near any heaters or by the fireplace. Even one stray speak that occurs when you move the logs around can ignite the tree. Make sure the tree is away for all heat sources. It’s a good idea to have a fire extinguisher nearby just in case you run into problems.

Keep Pets and Children Away

Make sure your children understand that the Christmas tree is not a toy and they can’t play around or near it. If you have pets make sure they are kept away from the tree at all times. You can use a gate if you wish.

Enjoy your Tree

You can enjoy your real live Christmas tree if you are cautious with it in your home and take steps to protect the tree and take steps to reduce the fire hazard.

How to care for your Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree Guide

Up here in Ohio it's starting to freeze. Matter of fact, it feels like it's freezing in my house right now. You know what that means. It's almost Christmas time! Many of you will decorate with a nice big beautiful Christmas Tree. So for those of you that prefer live trees, this is a short guide I put together to help you decide which one is best, how to get it home, and how to keep it green all winter long.

A – Obviously you're going to need to clear a space for it. So do that first. Tip: don't ever put a real tree near a source of heat. Especially a fireplace. You'd be surprised how many people think it's preferable and lose their home because of it.

B – Getting a healthy tree could make all the difference in how good it's going to look. So when you're out shopping for your Christmas tree, follow these guidelines for picking the right one:

• Make sure you measured right and you buy the right size. This may sound redundant but if you get it home and have to cut the lower branches off or hack the top off, it might look a little... diseased.

• Look for signs of unhealthiness in the tree. If it's got a lot of brown on it, try shaking it a bit or dropping it about one foot onto the stump and knock all of the dead needles off. This will also keep the needles from falling off at home and making a mess. Many tree farms have a “shaker” that does this for you, if you'd like. Don't be too concerned about a tree looking bare on the inside, this is normal.

Putting your tree in its stand

A When you choose your tree and get it home, the first thing you're going to want to do is cut about an inch off of the trunk. That will give you a nice fresh piece of wood that will take up water better as it's not dried out and dirty. If you don't have a saw available, you may want to ask the tree service where you bought it to do this for you. Do not cut it into a V or at an angle, this does not actually help the tree get more water, and it will also prevent you from getting it in the stand level. It is also untrue that drilling a hole in the base helps it take up water. Please avoid these wives-tales.

When putting the tree into the stand, there are a few things that you should do that you've probably never heard.

• Try to use the correct size of stand if possible. The better suited it is for your tree, the better the tree will fit, stay healthy, and stay green. A big mistake commonly made is scraping the bark off to make it fit in a stand that's too small. This is obviously not going to help the tree stay alive. Quite the opposite, actually. The outer layers of a trees bark are the most productive at water uptake. So they need to stay intact.

• Any fresh cut tree will still be taking up water after it has has been cut down. The common formula is each tree will take up about one liter of water a day per inch of trunk diameter. Keeping it watered is more important than you might think. If you let it run completely out of water, it could instantly change the amount of water the tree will actually take up. So keeping enough in the stand at all times is a must. Always use COLD water, and don't bother using chemicals. It's more hazardous than it's worth.

I will be making another post this week that will give you necessary information on how to make sure the tree is safe enough to keep in the house. 

From our friends at www.fairyinagarden.com

Bonsai trees are perfect for Fairy Gardens

We all know the tales about fairies, don’t we? If you find one, it will fulfill you three wishes. Wouldn’t this be amazing? What would your wishes be? I would go for health, a ton of money and the love of my life. So how can we find these magical creatures? We could run around in the woods for years and hope to stumble upon one, but trust me, there is a better way! Fairy Gardening is the keyword!

Fairy Gardens are miniature Gardens designed to lure fairies inside and provide a nice home for them. If you got a Fairy in your garden, there is no need to search the forests for one any longer. But how do we build a Fairy Garden which is suitable for a tiny fairy? In the middle of every Fairy Garden, there should be a house for their Fairy to live in. Fairies love plants and trees, but what trees would fit into a miniature garden? Bonsai trees are tiny by nature and their look is perfect for a fairy garden as well. These trees are the perfect size for a fairy. During the summer, they can look for shadow below the trees leafs and relax. If the fairy had a hard day full of work, it can place a hammock between the bonsai trees branches and grab a nice book. It is also possible to build a tree house with the bonsai tree, so the ethereal fairy can get a better view and spot harmful animals like cats, before they get access to the garden. This way they can seek protection inside of their fairy garden house! If you are interested in Fairy Gardening, check out http://www.fairyinagarden.weeby.com