by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
For some families, visiting the local Christmas tree farm is a holiday tradition. Fresh cut trees generally keep better and it’s fun to pick them out. Lot trees are sometimes cut weeks before they’re sold to the public, counting on coloring agents and preservatives to keep them looking good. These agents often cause an allergic reaction in children and sensitive people.
You won’t find firs at tree farms in Florida; they’re Northern trees that don’t thrive in the Florida climate. The four primary trees you’ll find at a Florida Christmas tree farm are Leyland Cypress, Red Cedar, Virginia Pine and Southern Pine (also known as Sand Pine). Each type of tree has their own characteristics that may fit your needs. The Leyland Cypress has no needle dropage whatsoever and is a very attractive tree, most often used outdoors in landscaping. Its in popularity as a Christmas tree is growing fast. The Southern Red Cedar has a great Christmasy smell and repels insects. This tree can only be found at tree farms. Because it’s juniper, it too does not shed the way a pine would. The Virginia Pine and the Southern Pine both have the advantage of being able to hold heavier ornaments than the cedars, with better spacing for ornaments, but there will be some needle dropage because of the nature of the pine.
Before going to the tree farm, you’ll want to measure out the space you have available for a tree, both in height and width. If you already have a tree stand you want to use, measure for the maximum and minimum diameter of tree trunk it will accept. Also, you’ll want to have a car or truck large enough to transport your tree, as well as on old blanket to protect the vehicle from sap. You can bring your own saw to cut down the tree yourself, but most farms have professional tree cutters and saws on-site. You will need to bring a bungee or rope to tie down your tree and a red ribbon to mark your tree.
Watch your step while looking for your perfect tree, the tree farmers maintain their farms, but there are often holes and stumps they haven’t cleared. Choose your tree and mark it with a ribbon. Then, go to the proprietors to get your tree cut and netted.
As soon as your tree is cut and loaded on to your vehicle, you’ll want to head straight home. If you had the tree placed in a stand at the farm you’ll want to put it in warm water as soon as possible, before the end is sealed by sap. You can prevent this by taping a garbage bag full of wet towels (towels you will never use again) to the tree. If some time will be passing before you’ll be able to set the tree in water, make sure you re-cut the end at home, taking off about ½ an inch straight across the bottom of the trunk. You’ll want to make sure you keep your tree watered over the holiday season, because if it dries out, the sap will begin to seal off the bottom.
Here are two of Jacksonville’s Christmas Tree Farms, so you can start your own tradition: Rogers Christmas Tree Farm (6501 Jones Rd., (904) 786-6709) carries trees up to twelve feet tall, although most of their selection was just over five feet tall. It’s a terrific place to go for a tree that isn’t oversized, but still looks good. The proprietor, Diane Rogers says that she doesn’t “price by the foot—I price by looks.” The prices are reasonable and the trees are well kept. All trees start at $20 and are marked up from there. You can bring your own saw, but there are plenty of helpers with hacksaws. Each tree that leaves the farm is netted ($1) and shaken. If you buy one of their stands ($15) they can also level and drill your tree into the stand. This farm is very well cared for and fairly safe for children (though there are the usual hazards of tree stumps and holes). Rogers is open from 9AM-5:30PM on the weekends up until Christmas.
Horne’s Christmas Tree Farm (736 N. Cahoon Rd. (904) 786-0536) has a wide variety of trees, but if you’re looking for trees over ten feet, this is the place to get one. There are twenty-two acres of trees to peruse, so make sure you bring something along to mark your tree. The main farm has poles you can use for that purpose as well as to measure, just make sure you pick one up before you go looking. Prices do go by the foot here with $20 being the minimum price of a tree. ($5 a foot for a tree 6 feet or less, $6.50 a foot for a tree 6 ½ to 8 feet and so on). The farm itself has plenty of antiqued and rusted farm equipment lying about. They carry Leyland Cypress and Red Cedar and they don’t use any insecticides or coloring. Leonard Horne and his wife Ola are available every day from now until Christmas from 9AM-5:30PM to help you choose that special tree.
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