Avant Gardening with Sturtz & Copeland

When selecting a tree, brush your hand over the needles and see how many needles fall off — if it seems like a lot, forgo that tree.

Check that the needles are green all the way down the stem right up to the trunk of the tree.  Trees lose their needles from the inside out, so if the stems are barren except at the tips, skip that tree.

Pick the tree up and try to sense if it seems heavy for its size.  Fresh trees are full of water and feel heavy.  If a tree feels light, skip it.

When you go to put a fresh cut on the bottom of the tree use a hand saw rather than a power saw.  The xylem, the cells which carry water up the trunk and keep your tree fresh, suffer less damage when hand cut.  Cut at least one inch, preferably three or more, off the bottom and immerse the base immediately in water.

The first two or three days, it’s critical to check the water levels two or three times a day.  If the water level has dropped and the base of the tree has dried out you’ll want to cut it again.  Some trees drink a lot, others very little.  As long as the tree seems flexible, things are probably okay.

Be careful about what you add to the water.  Formulations including sugar, soda pop, bleach, copper, etc. are almost all bad for your tree.  A few years ago we put evergreen sprigs in water tubes with different formulations and the only one that surpassed tap water was tap water with a trace of aspirin.  Take a gallon of warm water, and add a half-dozen crushed aspirin.  You need only do this in the initial watering.  After that use warm tap water.

Positioning the tree is important.  Sunlight, heating vents and drafts can all hasten a tree’s demise.  If it’s cold out let the tree have some transition time in your garage — a day or two is fine.  Antidessicants such as Wilt-Pruf can be sprayed on a tree to keep it fresher longer.

Keep in mind that smaller trees are easier for the growers to groom so that they tend to be more symmetrical than the big boys.

And take a good hard look at your tree stand.  If it’s one of those creaky, shaky discount stands with the three or four little screws and a shallow bowl — don’t hesitate — toss it.  Cheap stands are dangerous.  Spend a little more and get a good stand– we sell excellent ones — and save yourself from a holiday’s worth of frustration.

One of the Glorious things about Front Range winters is the warm spell.  It’s not unusual to hit 60 or even 70 degrees in winter, but however much we enjoy it, it can be tough on our perennials and shrubs.

Warm weather can lure plants out of dormancy only to freeze off new growth days later.  One of the most important things you can do in winter  — especially for recently transplanted plants — is to remember to water in winter.  If it hasn’t  rained or snowed for more than two weeks and the ground has thawed, it’s a good idea to water your plants.  Give them a good drink  in the winter and you’ll have much better plants next spring.