A Christmas tree farm outing can be a fun adventure for the whole family. For the kids especially, actually going to a farm and having a say in what their magical Christmas tree will look like can add a special, thrilling touch to the holidays.

First, you have to discover if there are even any Christmas tree farms in your area. If you have internet access, this is a fairly simple process. There are national Christmas tree farm groups that will direct you to tree growers in your area.

Next, you have to go to the farm and pick out that perfect tree. Each farm will likely grow a different type of tree, although some farms may grow several different types on their property. Often you will just go out to the field, decided which tree you want, cut it down, bring it back to the office and pay for it.

How To Care For A Fresh Cut Christmas Tree

One way to look at the care of a freshly cut Christmas tree is to compare it to cut flowers. When you place an arrangement of fresh flowers in a vase, you should always cut a bit off the stems first to make sure the flowers can take up water. The same goes for your Christmas tree: before placing it in the stand, cut the trunk again up to ½ inch from the bottom where the tree was originally cut.

After you make the fresh cut, you need to immediately put your tree into a stand filled with fresh water. Fresh trees can be very thirsty and can possibly drink a couple of gallons of water each day. You will need to check the level of the water every day and make sure the water level doesn’t fall below the freshly cut end of the trunk.

You will want to make sure that your fresh tree stays away from anything that produces a lot of heat such as fireplaces, central heating vents and even TV sets. Anything that produces extra heat around the tree can leach the moisture from its needles and it will die more quickly.

After you have had your holiday celebrations and are ready to take the tree down, how do you dispose of it? Many communities have tree recycling programs, and you can drop off your used tree at a central location or they may even pick up the trees at your curbside. Often these trees are mulched up to be used as groundcover, or taken to be broken down at compost sites.

Another way to dispose of your tree responsibly is to find out if your community uses the trees to help fish and wildlife. Often communities will sink used trees into lakes, where the fish will congregate in the branches of the tree. They can hide there from predators or even just rest there on an extra hot day.