Selecting Your Christmas Tree

Hopefully you survived the shopping frenzy of last Friday and the weekend. Now that you have finished up the Thanksgiving left overs -- thoughts turn to the Christmas season.

Most likely getting a Christmas tree is on your list as a holiday tradition whether you go to u-cut tree farm or an urban tree lot, Washington State University plant plantologist Dr. Gary Chastagner has some advice. For those looking for a living tree, he shares

Chastagner: “Basically what you want to do is you want to go through the trees and look see if they are shedding any green needles or are off-colored. If you find a tree that is shedding green needles, I’d move on and look for another tree. Some trees may shed brown needles from the inside that is not an indication that the tree has a problem. Those needles are probably just shaded and ready to fall off.”

So what types of trees last the longest? Chastagner says any type should last up to 10 days. But if you want a cut tree that will last longer, he says

Chastagner: “If you want a tree to last for a period of four, five or six weeks then you would generally be looking for some sort of a true fir -- such as a Noble or Frasier fir which generally have excellent moisture and needle retention.”

Tomorrow we will continue our conversation with Dr. Chastagner with tips for your Christmas tree when you get it home.