1. Saw another little bit off the base (not easy, I know!!). The base gets clogged up with resin (the tree's natural wound defence reaction), and that stopis it being able to take up water.

2. Go back to old traditions . . . never put up a christmas tree before 23 December!

Resin

and you always have it up in the hot house 10 days in advance????

most trees are cut a month in advance for shipping .... perhaps your supplier pushed that envelop .. and now you are suffering the consequences ....

i don't really see how you are going to recut it.. if its all decorated already .... the only thing i might think of... is reduce the heat to that room significantly .. so as to attempt to slow down the problem ...

i have no idea if it will work .. but does anyone think that some lateral cuts up the trunk .. in the water.. with a fresh razor might open some waterways... as a last ditch effort???

you might want to think about cutting your own tree next year [if you didn't this year]... to get that extra month of life .....

if you did cut it this year.. perhaps a bad summer drought... has affected how long the tree is lasting...

Merry Christmas.. ken

As a lover of trees few things disgust me more than this wasteful practice of cutting down christmas trees for very temporary decoration. There seems to be a big surplus of them this year in my areas. If only the garden centers would carry this many evergreens at $20-$50 ea then the world would be a lot greener place. I know you didn't ask for this rant but this may be a good time to switch to the plastic trees. Ordinarily I am not a huge fan of plastic imports but in this case I see the value in re-using trees year after year.

We have more than enough mulch.

QQ, Xmas tree farmers are tree planters. This is a renewable resource, just like any other agricultural commodity. You'll never find a Xmas tree farm that has been stripped bare of trees, however, laying fallow until the next crop is planted.

My only problem with these businesses is that they tend to be fairly big chemical pesticide users. ;-(

If a Christmas tree was never going to be cut down, it would never be planted in the first place. The seed would never be germinated, the plant would never exist. Using artificial trees does not save trees...it's simply horticultural abortion.

There is an organization in Oregon that certifies Christmas tree growers organic. Currently, only three are certified, but only because they aren't able to process all the applicants. There are quite a few waiting.

Funny how in the year 2007 we seem to think that people who grow trees, for landscape or otherwise should be stuck decades in the past because we are too cheap to value their product. If nurseries were any other type of business, they would not sell their product as cheaply as they do. If you had to go through all the hassle to make a sale they do, you'd not sell as cheaply either.

Funny how you see what you want to. I have a feeling that if you would look at grower operations, you'd not see as much chemical use as you allude to. I will not be so naive as to say you won't find it, because it's part of the business, but I'll also bet you may be surprised how many weigh carefully their options and make all such decisions very carefully.

Part of me agrees with resin: Christmas trees as indoor decoration are nothing more than a cut flower. Expecting them to last for a couple of months is at best stretching the limits of credulity. That being said...don;t let your tree run out of water. Once it runs out, it seals up and you have to start all over again. There are many products to help you with this, check anyplace that sells seasonal merchandise.

Prolong. It's cheap, it's easy, it's available almost everywhere.

Wilt-Pruf. I know this is tantamount to speaking kindly of the anti christ in a revival meeting, but there's a reason the product exists.

Never let the cut trunk run dry. Once that happens the tree normally quits absorbing water. Getting a fresher-cut locally grown tree will help with the problem. Another help may be the type of tree. Some varieties last significantly longer without "needle shed" than others.

It used to bother me that all these beautiful trees were being killed for a brief super-commercialized holiday, but better a tree farm than yet another housing development.

I've used live trees and cut trees (usually Balsam fir) and enjoyed both. This year I've decided to go with a 3 or 4 foot live tree in a pot. Only drawback is, you can't keep them inside for any longer than a week, max.

What could have been on the land that the christmas tree farm stands? Housing is something that is needed, a valuable commodity and an important part of our economy. As are food crops. Food crops are harvested more frequently and more plants per acre. The trees have to grow for years before they're salable. I'm sure they are heavily fertilized. But unlike live trees which continue to provide environmental benefits, the cut trees are hauled at 5-7 MPG to retail outlets hundreds of miles away where everyone who buys one is most likely making a dedicated trip in a large vehicle to take it home. Then if disposed of properly it becomes "mulch for public schools" (in our county) otherwise they wind up on the side of the road somewhere.

I really shouldn't hijack the topic. I apologize.

Christmas tree farms stop erosion, provide shelter for wildlife, put oxygen back in the air and take c02 out and generally are eco friendly relative to most other commercial uses of land and way friendlier than residential uses. Really.

"Christmas tree farms stop erosion,"

So could bamboo or the nastiest invasive grass you can think of. So could a stand of native trees that are there to stay.

"provide shelter for wildlife,"

So could a stand of native trees, in fact native trees would be of greater benefit.

"put oxygen back in the air d take c02 out"

Eco benefites are cancelled out by their distribution, end usage and disposal. More greenhouse gases spewed out after the fact.

"and generally are eco friendly relative to most other commercial uses of land"

We'll just have to agree to disagree on that.
For instance if this was a pine plantation, I'd have no problem with this. The timber is being harvested for a useful purpose. Same with food crops.

"and way friendlier than residential uses."

Houses are there to stay. So long as the land is managed responsibly, there is a need for housing and I don't see anything wrong with conservative land use for building new homes. (Vis a vis a Christmas tree farm, where habitat is never restored either, and the crop is continually harvested.)

"Really."

Really? I should just believe you, right? It would be great if I could just take your word for it.

kitkat713- It will be a race against time to see if your needles make it to Christmas or not. Having dried out a full 10 days prior, in PA, I'm guessing forced air heating- hopefully Santa doesn't sneeze on Christmas eve. Seriously, watch the needles closely for brittleness and be careful with lights or any heat source.

As for Christmas tree farming, since at age 16 I was part of a crew pruning 10's of thousands of trees I'd say tree farmers might be guilty of child abuse but I still wouldn't begrudge them a profit. Sure, as plant persons, we would all like to see a stand of native trees, but its tough to make a living that way. Not sure of the economic benefit to some of the other suggestions either (does bamboo even grow where most tree farms are?). And as for timber grown for useful purposes, yes, certainly some purposes are useful, but is another 2,000 sq ft deck really useful. So much here is subjective. Bottom line is, it is a cash crop that does less harm than many other cash crops. Let the guy make a buck.

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.

tj