While artificial trees are caught in transit, real trees are ready for customers
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| Area nurseries and home improvement stores, plus pop-up sellers, will have stock of live Christmas trees. The Plant Foundry, above, in Oak Park received its trees early in the week and the staff members were setting them up as fast as they could. (Photo courtesy The Plant Foundry) |
Will there be a Christmas tree shortage this holiday season? No – if you keep it real.
While artificial trees may be stuck in supply chain snags, real trees should be in good supply, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
In particular, trees should be in good shape and in good supply from El Dorado County growers. After months of drought, October rain refreshed the pines, firs and cedars. They’re now ready for cutting and customers.
Clustered around Placerville in the Apple Hill area, local growers traditionally open their farms to visitors the day after Thanksgiving and keep selling until sold out. Challenged by drought and pandemic, some family farms have stopped selling trees, but about 20 El Dorado County growers are expected to be offering trees this season. For a map, details and directions, got to https://chooseandcut.com/ .
City shoppers also should find a healthy selection of fresh trees, says the national association, but shop early. The lack of fake tree availability is driving more demand for the real thing.
An intense summer heat wave did sunburn lots of Oregon-grown trees, causing concern, say industry experts. Farms in the northern Willamette Valley reported many heat-related losses. Fortunately, the sunburn was often only cosmetic and could be trimmed off.
Looking for a Christmas tree near you? Check out the tree locator map (and tree tips) at: www.itschristmaskeepitreal.com .
What about a potted living tree? Firs, pines and other conifers are not houseplants; it’s best if these trees’ days indoors are numbered.
If you decide to use a living Christmas tree, keep it outside in a sunny location and well-watered until Christmas week. This reduces stress on the young tree. Make its stay indoors as brief as possible before returning outside – and hopefully finding a spot where it can put its roots down.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
SUMMER
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
WINTER
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden checklist for week of July 13
Put off big chores and planting until later in the week when the weather is cooler. In the meantime, remember to stay hydrated – advice for both you and your garden.
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.
* Give vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.
* Add some summer color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. Plant Halloween pumpkins now.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.
* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.
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