"Anthony B" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...
I was hoping for some feedback - the local Home Depot has live x-mas
trees in their lot, and they usually go on clearance about now.

I'm wondering if these are dead trees standing, though, because they
have them completely unprotected, just sitting out on the pavement.
Some are in pots, some are balled and burlap. We've had quite a few
nights in the teens here in Western PA. The trees look OK, but I have
to suspect the rootballs have frozen through and through.

They're mostly Frasier Firs, Blue Spruce, and White Pine.

Thanks for any advice,
Seth


Seth, They should be okay still... But is you notice, most places that
normally garuntee their trees or shrubs will not garruntee live xmas (BTW
I have a heck of a time spelling guarantee) trees.

The trick is to store them in a sheltered unheated location, don't bring
them in until about a week before Christmas, Keep them in a large tub
filled with damp shredded mulch or peat moss and have the hole dug and
ready and get them in the ground the morning following Christmas..

There will still be a higher than normal mortality rate on the live trees,
with the White Pine being slightly more "delicate" than the fir or the
spruce.

Hope this helps,
Anthony D.
Ky Nursery and Landscape Association
Certified KY Nurseryman



Can you offer any guidance to the OP about which of the varieties he
mentioned might have needles which double as lethal weapons? He might want
to avoid that, depending on where he's going to plant the tree eventually.
I've got some sort of dart-throwing monster in my yard. The needles actually
embed themselves in the centers of lettuce & other leafy plants. They get
stuck in the intake grill of my truck, and laugh at the shop-vac's efforts
to remove them, even when they're standing vertically in the holes (not
wedged sideways). The tree itself is gorgeous, and is one reason the house
is nice a cool in the summer. Otherwise, I'd murder it.