Caring for Homegrown Christmas Trees

Dan Forestry, This Land of Ours

homegrown

There is a little more to it than just planting the tree seedlings and letting them grow. Cathy Isom lets you know more about how to care for homegrown Christmas Trees. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. 

When growing your own Christmas tree varieties, they require little care. During the first year of your seedlings growth, it’s important to water them every week. After the first year, the trees should be able to survive without additional watering unless your area is impacted with drought.

Weeds can smother seedling trees, and also take vital nutrients from the trees too. Be sure to mow around trees, pull them, or use mulch around trees to smother the weeds.

When year three of growth rolls around, it’s time for your trees to be groomed. This is when you may notice how they have abnormalities forming with stray limbs or even two toppers. Give trees a haircut to give them the traditional Christmas tree shape and look.

It is common for evergreens to lose roughly 30% of their needles each year.  However, needles lost should only be coming from the interior of the tree. If you notice outer needles are falling or the needles are turning yellow, it’s possible the tree is either diseased or under attack by pests.

I’m Cathy Isom…