A few questions about a real tree.

[sly13]

This might be a little off topic, but I value your guys opinions. My wife and I are considering a real Christmas tree this year and it would be the first for either of us. Is it a bad idea since we heat with wood? It would be on the other end of our family room, approx. 24' away from our fireplace. We have a Lopi Revere insert so no open flames per-say. Just thought I'd throw this out and see what you all have to say. Thanks Scott

 

[banshee67]

im far from a pro ( at anything, lol) but i dont see how having an x-mas tree 25' from a closed fire could be a problem
what exactly are your concerns with having the christmas tree in the same room as your fireplace insert?

on the other hand, i cant believe neither of you has had a real xmas tree before! christmas just aint christmas without that SMELL , do it and youll leave the plastic one in the box in the basement for the rest of your life for sure!

we have tons of places in the local papers around here where you can go cut them fresh for about $20-50 depending on the size/species, i broke out the 028 last year while all the other people were messing with hand saws

 

[sly13]

Drying out

Our biggest concern was if they dry out alot faster, posing a fire hazard. We have never enjoyed the fake trees, defiantly hoping to go a different way.

 

[beerman6]

i broke out the 028 last year while all the other people were messing with hand saws

lmao!

 

[H-Ranch]

Get it late in the season, keep it watered (may need it once a day or more depending on size, room conditions, tree stand type, etc.), and move it out of the house soon after Christmas. Don't forget to turn the lights off when you are not there too.

 

[Erik B]

im far from a pro ( at anything, lol) but i dont see how having an x-mas tree 25' from a closed fire could be a problem
what exactly are your concerns with having the christmas tree in the same room as your fireplace insert?

on the other hand, i cant believe neither of you has had a real xmas tree before! christmas just aint christmas without that SMELL , do it and youll leave the plastic one in the box in the basement for the rest of your life for sure!

we have tons of places in the local papers around here where you can go cut them fresh for about $20-50 depending on the size/species, i broke out the 028 last year while all the other people were messing with hand saws

That's a good idea. Leave the hand saw at home and take the 192T. Thanks

 

[banshee67]

Our biggest concern was if they dry out alot faster, posing a fire hazard. We have never enjoyed the fake trees, defiantly hoping to go a different way.

you would be surprised how long they last if you keep giving them water.. they suck up a lot. they can easily last 3 weeks without going brown as long as you keep watering them daily or every other day, only pain is vacuuming up all the needles when you do finally take it down, keep the base full of water and you shouldnt have any problems!

did i mention the SMELL

 

[banshee67]

That's a good idea. Leave the hand saw at home and take the 192T. Thanks

lol yep, check with the farm owner first, i asked the guy if he minded first, he said no go ahead, so out came the 028, got a couple weird looks from other customers, i bet they stopped laughing when they had to kneel in a foot of snow with their handsaw for 5 mins sawing away

 

[lone wolf]

No one on this site should have a fake tree!:angrysoapbox:

 

[sly13]

Thanks so far with everything we have hard wood floors so cleaning up should be ok. Like the chainsaw idea too, just got a 011 running.

 

[banshee67]

-- not meaning to hijack, but some scumbag last year stole a big spruce from my neighbors front yard, easily 20 footer, must have had a big trailer with em or it was a damn flat bed.. neighbors woke up and it was gone they said. i looked at the stump, someone chopped it down with an axe, i couldnt imagine how they loaded it, the thing was huge..20 ft tall, easy 8ft wide spread, stole the whole damn thing!
they had a rotation of dogwoods and spruce, messed up the whole pattern, bastards!

 

[bobt]

Go get yourself a Balsam Fir or any other Fir. They have the best aroma and keep their needles longer than other Christmas trees. Spruces and Scotch pines are less desirable, but do the job.

In my youth, we sold about 1200 Balsams a year to a woman and her sons who trucked them to Chicago from our tree farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We sold them wholesale to her for $3.00 a tree. How times have changed,,,,,Haha!

Bob

 

[Frank Boyer]

You'll be fine for a couple of weeks with a fresh tree that has a stand with water. I use wood heat and have had a fresh tree for 30 years in the same house with the tree 15' from the wood burner. Cut the tree yourself so that you know it isn't one of the ones trucked in before Thanksgiving. I 've used a 041,260 and 460 to cut trees over the years.

Use a 10'X15' tarp to bring the tree in/out. The tarp makes it much easier to move the tree around and really cuts down on the needles on the carpet.

 

[deerlakejens]

If you buy it already cut, make sure to make a fresh cut by taking a few inches off of the stump before you put it in a stand and, as mentioned earlier, keep it watered. You'll be surprised how much water a fresh tree will take up and it will last much longer. Great aroma and you're supporting a tree farmer somewhere.

 

[Circle B MN]

I would think that as long as you kept it watered you would be fine. Check it daily as they are thirsty. I have always had a live tree and good luck with them,...but...last year we went to our regular tree farm, cut a tree, took it home and treated it as we always have. Darn thing was near orange in a week. The tree farm owner gave us another for free and said that very very few just don't take to being cut. The Mrs. was not very "jolly" about having to decorate the tree twice.

 

[iowa]

I'm gonna get a live tree and then plant it after Xmas! Serves 2 purposes then!

 

[BPS. LLC]

We buy ours with the root ball. Keep it watered and there's no problems with losing needles. I keep them warm in the garage until early spring then plant them, one for every year we've been here. I keep saying its the last year for it, but we keep doing it. The root ball can be heavy and cumbersome and difficult to get the tree to sit straight, but it's nice to have a nice sized tree to plant later to burn in the future.

 

[slowp]

Truckloads of trees are leaving our county now. Our county has the most Christmas tree farms in the state. Some of the farmers use helicopters to lift the trees out of their fields.

Christmas trees are a lot of work. More than you would think.

 

[Pcoz88]

They tend to dry out from low humidity also.Had real trees all my life.Go to tree farm and they cut one down for ya!!They do suck down ALOT of WATER!!!


Pete
GO BUCKEYES!!!

 

[Hlakegollum]

-- not meaning to hijack, but some scumbag last year stole a big spruce from my neighbors front yard, easily 20 footer, must have had a big trailer with em or it was a damn flat bed.. neighbors woke up and it was gone they said. i looked at the stump, someone chopped it down with an axe, i couldnt imagine how they loaded it, the thing was huge..20 ft tall, easy 8ft wide spread, stole the whole damn thing!
they had a rotation of dogwoods and spruce, messed up the whole pattern, bastards!

Where I grew up in NJ they had signs posted along the turnpike saying "trees treated with noxious spray", if you stole a tree and brought it in it would stink up your house. I'm not sure if the people who would steal a tree would even understand the sign.