Houston — Many were thinking green on Black Friday, but a lot of customers ended up with dead or dying Christmas trees last year. So, we set out to learn how to avoid bringing home a dud.
“Make sure you keep it properly watered,” said National Tree & Shrub owner Richard Devine.
He said it starts with a fresh cut. His employees trim at least an inch from the bottom of every tree before it goes into water immediately.
“If you just cut the tree and don’t put it in water, it’ll seal,” said Devine. “The sap will seal the tree and it won’t absorb water.”
Devine gets his trees from a farm in Oregon.
“You’ve got a lot of trees that do really well down here,” said Devine. “But the predominant trees are going to be Frasier Fir or Noble Firs.”
He said properly inspecting a tree requires more than your eyes. You have to touch the tree and feel for any brittleness.
“When the needles bend and they’re very flexible, that’s generally going to be a needle that’s got a lot of good life to it,” said Devine. “Nothing should fall off a tree. And beware if you see any green paint or anything sprayed on.”
Devine’s trees are brought in via sold storage within days of being chopped down. That’s not the case at all retailers.
And if you decide to cut your own, make sure you cut it again when you get home because 32 days will pass between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Therefore, it’s got to last.
“This is a good year,” said Devine. “Everybody seems to want a real tree this year.”
That’s despite a nationwide shortage of certain trees rooted in the 2008 recession.
“It’s got that awesome smell,” said Leah Fiedler.
Her annual Black Friday shopping spree always includes a living tree.
“I don’t know, fake trees kind of make me sad,” said Fiedler.
