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There are essentially three kinds of Christmas trees grown on farms in Washington: true firs (usually two species, noble and grand), Douglas fir and Scotch pine. All of them will perform well indoors provided a fresh healthy tree is chosen and it's cared for properly while it's in your home.
Because all of our trees are grown nearby in western Washington and are not subject to warm weather or long transit times after they're harvested, any tree purchased locally is likely to be fresh. However, to be sure, there are a few tests you can perform while shopping for your tree to guarantee freshness.
First, the foliage should be a good green for the particular species, although there is some genetic variability among individuals within a species. Thump the butt of the tree hard on the ground. If many green needles drop off, look for another tree. Only the brown needles from deeper inside the tree should come off in quantity. You can also test for needle retention by running your hand lightly up several branches against the needles. Most of the green needles should stay on the branches.
Take a couple of needles from a branch and bend them in two. At some point before the ends touch they should snap cleanly and exude pitch. If they don't snap or you see no pitch from the broken ends, look for a fresher tree.
For a cut Christmas tree to remain fresh and safe indoors it must be set up in a stand that holds water -- and plenty of it. Washington State University research has shown that a cut tree indoors without water will last for only one to two weeks before it becomes a serious fire hazard. A tree kept in fresh water will last for a month or more in good condition and remain fire resistant.
Your tree stand's reservoir should hold at least four quarts of water, and it must be checked every day and refilled as the water level goes down. Research has shown that a 6 to 7 ft. tree can take up an entire gallon of water the first day it's set up in the house.
Before setting up your tree, cut an inch or so off the base to expose new xylem cells which will be able to take up water. These water absorbing cells generally seal over after about six hours of being cut and rehydration becomes much less efficient. For this reason it's critical to always keep the water level above the base of the tree. If it dries out completely, water uptake will be poor.
No preservatives or additives, whether homemade or commercial, have been shown to be any better than water. In fact, testing a few years ago at WSU's research facility in Puyallup showed that some of these so called preservatives actually reduced tree quality. Plain water, either warm or cold, seems to work the best.
When locating your tree indoors it makes sense to keep it as far away from any sources of heat as possible. Fireplaces, wood stoves, baseboard heaters, and hot air registers are all likely to make your tree give off moisture more rapidly, thus requiring more frequent additions of water. Also being close to such heat sources may be downright dangerous.
If you choose a good, healthy, well-rooted conifer, keep it indoors no longer than about ten days. After about ten days, the plant will begin to move out of dormancy and can be damaged by cold when placed outside. Plant it properly in an appropriate location as soon as possible after the holidays.
The very best tree to use as a living Christmas tree is probably one that has spent its entire life in a container. Such plants have all of their root systems intact and can efficiently replace all the water they lose in a warm indoor setting from their foliage. Plants that have been grown in containers are in well drained, but moisture retentive media, which makes it easy to care for them while they are inside.
However, most living Christmas trees, especially the larger ones, have recently been dug up out of a field and the surviving roots balled in burlap. Such trees may not be as efficient in bringing up water, since a considerable number of their absorbing roots will have been left back in the field. Also the field soil and burlap can make watering difficult, since the fine texture of the soil and burlap often cause added water to run right off; the roots may not get it. In spite of these problems you can be successful even with balled-in-burlap specimens. As long as you are aware of them and take a few extra precautions your tree should be okay.
You must keep the soil of any living tree sufficiently moist so it can keep replacing its water lost in the heat of the house. Check the medium every day, and, if it feels dry to the touch, water it until moisture runs out the drainage holes of the pot it's in. (Balled in burlap trees should be placed in pots for ease of maintenance indoors). Be careful however not to over water the thing: you want to keep the soil moist, not wet!
To make it easier to check the soil on a burlapped specimen, loosen and peel back the burlap a bit. Better still, cut a window out of the burlap so you can feel the soil. Some folks have been successful poking moisture meters in the soil to monitor its moisture content. Live trees should not be kept in the home for much more than ten days. Just in case, it's probably a good idea to move your tree back outside in stages so that it can reacclimate to the harsher outdoor environment. Keep the plant for week or two in an unheated but non-freezing place like a garage before bringing it into outside temperature.
Choose an appropriate location to plant your tree. Remember, unless you purchased a dwarf, conifers tend to get very large, and in our western Washington climate, do so very quickly. Most do best in good light and all need well drained soil.
Dig your hole at least twice the width of the root ball, but no deeper. If you are planting a container-grown tree, straighten out or cut any circling roots before replacing the backfill soil. If it's a burlapped tree peel back the burlap and shove it down toward the bottom of the hole, or cut it off before throwing the soil back in. Many tree wraps are made of plastic and other materials that don't disintegrate in soil and will retard the growth of the plant.
Simply loosen or break up the native soil. You don't need any amendments to help your tree reestablish. Once the soil is back in the hole, water it heavily, especially if it's not raining consistently at the time.
If the weather happens to be very cold after Christmas, its best to wait till more normal weather returns before replanting your tree. Leave it in the unheated room or garage for the duration of the cold spell, but continue to check its soil to make sure it doesn't dry out.
Conifers that have been used as living Christmas trees may drop a considerable number of needles in the spring. Don't worry about this if the plant produces new green growth. Keep it watered through the summer --as with all newly-transplanted trees, do not let it dry out in the first two or three summers outdoors.
Toads and garter snakes feed on slugs, but it isn't possible to keep them from wandering out of your garden. Ducks and chickens also relish slugs, but then you've got ducks and chickens all over, and local legislation often prevents the keeping of poultry in residential areas. In Europe and other areas of the Old World, hedgehogs do a good job of keeping slugs under control, but the Washington Department of Wildlife is likely to take a dim view of their introduction. Finally, there is at least one species of fast moving, large, black ground beetle that kills and feeds on slugs. This species is far more common in California than in western Washington. However, ground beetles of many species live in our region, and should be identified and protected. Don't use broad-spectrum insecticides such as acephate (sold as Orthene) if it's possible to avoid them; these insecticides are toxic to ground beetles.
We are fortunate in the maritime Pacific Northwest to be able to garden almost year. In fact, gardeners can plant nearly anytime the ground is not frozen. While many of us are accustomed to planting during the warm months of spring and summer, fall is actually a better time to plant almost all plants.
Soil temperatures, built up during summer months, stay warm late into fall. September, October, and November can have warm soil up to hard freezes. Plant roots grow any time the soil temperatures are over 40 degrees F. Thus, a plant installed in fall can initiate new root growth before hard winter arrives. Planting and transplanting can be done anytime between late September and late March in the maritime Puget Sound.
Remember that your plants will need regular water until they become established. Depending on when the fall rains begin you may need to provide regular extra watering. Fall planting saves water. Not only is there more rainfall during the fall, but since the days are shorter and cooler plants grow less and require less water.
Transplanting is most effective when plants are dormant --when deciduous plants have lost their leaves and when evergreens have stopped growing.
Mulch around newly-set plants using any organic material. In case of a sudden hard freeze, you may want to protect the plants by covering them with burlap draped over three or four stakes set around the plant. Most hardy plants will come through winter just fine after fall planting.
Your question gets one of the "it depends" answers. How long do you want it to last? If it's relatively temporary (less than 3 years), use recycled lumber if available. A raised bed edge need not be as permanent as a deck or fence. Peter Chan, a well-known vegetable gardener in Oregon, builds raised beds the way they were traditionally done in China, with slightly sloped edges firmed by the shovel, and no external wood at all.
First, here are some suggestions about what NOT to use. Railroad ties, especially when relatively new, have been impregnated with creosote which can cause plant damage from leaching into the ground. Do not use anything treated with pentachlorophenol (once sold as "Penta"). This product is no longer legal for sale. The registration was canceled by the EPA in 1986 because of toxicity to mammals (including humans.) Sometimes people have outdated supplies of it in storage. Don't use this. Take it to a hazardous waste disposal site. (Call your county for information about hazardous waste disposal.)
Ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in early February 2002 which eliminates building material treated with CCAs (chromated copper arsenate) has left some gardeners puzzled about how to create raised beds and other landscape features requiring wood to be in direct contact with soil. CCA treated lumber will phase out for residential and school uses by the end of 2003.
Does the (EPA) decision mean that you should rip out existing landscape features which have been installed with CCA-treated wood? CCAs contain metal oxides of chromium, copper, and arsenic which help wood to resist rot from soil organisms. They have been common in decking, fences, and often in raised garden beds and compost bins. EPA representatives indicated that removal of installed materials isn't necessary.
However, be sure you continue to observe cautions mentioned on labels for the product. Labels supplied with CCA treated wood warn against its use on any surface where food will be served or prepared, or where it can directly contact drinking water or animal feed. Don't burn treated wood, and wear protective goggles and gloves when cutting and handling it. Don't inhale the dust or put sawdust in compost piles. Don't allow residue to remain on skin. Wash thoroughly after touching the material. All these warnings are included on the lumber's labeling.
If you are concerned about existing CCA-treated raised beds where food crops grow, consider pulling soil away from the lumber and stapling heavy mil plastic over the surfaces. Another precaution could be planting non-edibles such as flowers for a border inside the raised beds and then placing vegetables within the flower border.
Gardeners have lots of alternatives to CCA-treated wood.
* Try going bare. If your objective is raised beds to grow vegetables, you could skip wood edges altogether. Use the method advocated by Peter Chan, the well-known vegetable gardener in Oregon. He builds mound-shaped raised beds as were traditionally done in China, without wood or other edging. Vegetable beds were formed with slightly sloped edges firmed by the shovel. The soil warms more quickly with sun contacting the sloped edges and plants are easily cared for. (His book Peter Chan's Vegetables the Chinese Way shows superb photos of this being done.)
* Use plastic lumber made from recycled consumer plastic products. Plastic lumber, once a novelty, has become a standard material for edges, decking, and other landscape uses. These materials are ideal for raised bed vegetable and herb gardens. Plastic based materials do not decay when in contact with soil, and do not leach., and are sold in standard dimensions. Some suppliers will take back cut scraps for further recycling.
* "Treat" your own lumber with materials brushed on to improve water repellency. These chemicals, which usually contain copper napthenate or zinc naphenate, must be handled according to directions with protective gloves and goggles. They do not penetrate wood deeply and work best for wood that isn't in direct contact with soil (such as greenhouse wood benches.) Manufacturers will no doubt be formulating new products to add to the wood treatment arsenal once CCAs disappear from home uses at the end of 2003.
* For a relatively short-lived project, consider using recycled materials from demolition sites (your own or someone else's.) Attractive, inexpensive wood can often be located through suppliers of re-used building materials.
* Recognize that all wood in contact with rain and soil will eventually decay. If the garden feature will be dismantled within 5 years or so, plain untreated wood will last for the length of the project. Even treated wood succumbs to the elements after the passage of years, so the expectation of an unchanging wood landscape feature is somewhat unreasonable.
* For some of us, the element of increased "distressed" looks in wood add charm to the garden (up until the moment the landscape feature collapses.) Flexibility in expectations makes garden choices easier!
Finally, consider plastic "lumber." Various types of plastic-derived lumber, often made from recycled consumer plastic products, are available now. These materials have similar dimensions to wood and can be worked with ordinary carpenter tools. Plastic-derived building materials do not decay when touching soil. They do not leach into the soil. And some suppliers will take back the scraps for recycling. It's worth checking out!
Yes, but they disintegrate slowly. If you imagine the wonderful spongy feeling of walking on the soil in a forest, you'll have the sense of the layers of decomposing needles that pile up as what's called "forest duff." A pine cone will take years, perhaps decades, to break down completely if it's just lying out in the air without much soil contact.
It's acceptable to use accumulated pine needles and other fallen plant matter as mulch around trees and shrubs. Simply rake it up and put it on about 2 or 3 inches deep to give your shrubs some protection against sprouting weeds and to provide some water conservation in the soil. Just don't pile it too deep or let it stack up against the trunks of your woody plants.
To accelerate the breakdown of piles of needles and cones, mix them with a highly nitrogen-rich material like grass clippings, tossing the pile and mixing thoroughly. The mixture of "brown" and "green" materials, if wetted down and kept damp, will gradually disintegrate to a dark, crumbly, useful garden soil amendment.
Another term for "cover crop" is "green manure." These are crops sown specifically to be dug back into the soil when they reach maturity, before they go to seed. These are very useful in a number of common garden situations.
For instance, if there's a new landscape that is not going to be planted to its final design for several months, a cover crop can be sown to enrich the ground and keep the weeds down. Bare ground will inevitably sprout weeds. Whenever possible, keep bare ground covered with mulch or cover crops.
Another good use for them is where the summer vegetable garden has finished producing and the gardener does not wish to put in a fall or winter garden. Fall and winter are good times to grow cover crops. Crops in the legume family, such as crimson clover, are excellent for adding nitrogen to poor, acidic soils. Crimson clover, vetch, and field peas can all be planted from late August to early October. After mid October, these crops will not sprout sufficiently well to act as a good cover through winter.
When the plants bloom, but before they seed, they are chopped or turned into the ground with a tiller. Do this before the crop gets too tall, or it will tangle in the tiller.
If you don't have a large, active Great Dane to run them off, you could try laying chicken wire over the planted area to repel the cats, or use bird-netting. They don't seem to want to walk on uneven surfaces. If you already have transplants in, cut a number of one-foot twigs and stick them in between the plants to fill up the open spaces. You can remove the twigs as the plants get bigger and stronger. Cats seem to like what we gardeners like --- open, weeded, smoothed garden soil with the rocks removed.
You are probably observing fall webworms, which make large webs in trees but are not the same insect as tent caterpillars. This insect affects many different species of deciduous trees --it doesn't feed on conifers.
Fall webworm infestations develop from masses of eggs laid on the underside of leaves in June or July. An egg hatches in about one week, producing a caterpillar that reaches about 1 1/2 inches in length when mature. The caterpillars are yellowish brown with black and orange bumps and long whitish hairs. (In comparison with hairless caterpillars, these are rather like the comparison of Persian cats to short-hairs --the hairs are distinctly noticeable.)
These caterpillars--which are the larval form of the adult moth--congregate in groups and feed together on host trees, which are often willow, cottonwood, or orchard fruit trees. They build the tent-like web and consume the leaves inside the tent. In this manner of feeding, they differ from tent caterpillars, an early summer pest, which wander out of the tent during the day to eat and then gather back in the tent for at night.
Because the fall webworm stays within its tent at all times, the simplest method of control is to prune off the entire nest and drop it into a bucket of soapy water. This works well if the nests are low enough to be reached. If the tree has a heavy infestation, the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis can be used. It's effective only if the webworms are actively feeding. If applied to the leaves just outside the nest, the insecticide will be present when the caterpillars enlarge the nest and move into the area adjacent to their tent. They enlarge and move tents when they have consumed all the foliage within the current tent.
Often, trees will simply recover from an infestation of fall webworms and no chemical treatment is required. Prune them out if they can be reached. Removing the nest also helps reduce future infestations, because the insects overwinter in dark brown cocoons in the bark and in leaf litter on the ground under the tree. It's good practice to rake the ground under the affected tree thoroughly after leaf fall, discarding all the fallen leaves. Don't compost material with webworm cocoons in it.
For trees, look for red maple (Acer species), bald cypress, willows (Salix species), dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), Oregon ash (Fraxinus species), green ash, swamp white oak, sweet gum, Southern magnolia, sweet bay magnolia and sour gum.
Shrubby plants that tolerate damp feet are the bayberries (Myrica sp.),sweet fern (Comptonia), red twig dogwood, western or Douglas spiraea (Spirea Douglasii), many bamboos, buttonbush (Cephalantus), deciduous hollies, and spice bush (Calanthus species).
For flowers, herbaceous perennials that grow well in wet soils are astilbe, swamp marigold (Caltha), some ferns, rose mallow (Hibiscus moschueto), and some iris (specifically Japanese iris, yellow water iris, the Louisiana cultivars and the Siberian hybrids), cardinal flower, (Lobelia cardinalis), moneywort (Lunaria), many mints, forget-me-not, Rodgersia, and calla lilies.
Get acquainted with the type of damp or soggy area your landscape has. Not all plants will tolerate constant, year-round wetness. However, some, such as the iris and Rodgersia, can be planted at the edge of ponds and will do well. Some will take shade; others prefer sun. Consult a good plant encyclopedia like the Sunset Western Garden Book for more information. And check with your nursery for specific plant requirements. Also, most plants, especially woody trees and shrubs, that are known to tolerate wet sites, should initially be planted high (mounded slightly above grade) to give a better chance to acclimate to their new, wet environment.
