Time to take down the Christmas tree

      Christmas is over and you need to take down your Christmas tree. If your Christmas tree comes out of a box, you can put it back in the box until next year. But if you have a live tree, please do not just toss it in the trash. It deserves better than that and certainly has many uses after you take it out of the house!

But before you begin the recycle process be sure to remove all lights and ornament.

     Here are some ways you can recycle your Christmas tree and keep it from going to overflowing landfills:

If you have a chipper, run the tree through it.  The chips make great mulch and smell good while being chipped

 

OR you can cut off the boughs and place them on the ground around your plants.   Save the trunk for a use in your garden as a trellis for peas, beans, or cucumbers or even used to make a “bottle tree.” 

Move the tree in its stand outdoors for the winter where it can provide food and shelter for birds.

The trees could be used as artificial fish attractors in ponds or lakes

If you are in a hurry, just pile the trees in fields and forests for use as wildlife cover.   The trees will eventually decay and be recycled naturally.

Reuse your tree any way you can.  Remember it took 5 – 10 years to grow this tree.  Do not waste all of Mother Nature’s time for a few weeks of your pleasure.

Just remember, whatever you do, do not put the tree trash.

Keep Your Poinsettia Looking Great!

 

Many homes will decorate with poinsettias during the holidays. It just does not seem like Christmas without this wonderful plant. But poinsettias are picky about their growing environment.  Here’s the quick guide of how to care for your poinsettia:

• Protect them from chilly weather. Just letting them get chilled on the way from the store to your house can be enough to shock them!
• Poinsettias prefer a daytime temperature between 65 & 75F and the night time temperature from 60 to 65F.  Keep them away from drafts, air vents, and space heaters.
• Place the poinsettia in a bright location in the home where it can receive indirect light. Although it can withstand direct sunlight, watering requirements will increase and the flowers will not last as long.
• Avoid letting the bracts touch cold windowpanes because the outdoor temperatures can cause damage.
• Do not let the plant dry out. If the plant wilts, just once, it will start to shed leaves and the colorful bracts.
• Overwatering is a major cause of early leaf and bract drop in poinsettias, so keep the plant moist but not soggy.  If the poinsettia came with a plastic decorator wrap, punch drainage holes so water will not accumulate.  Check the soil regularly. When it is dry to the touch, water them.  If damp, do nothing.

Follow these simple steps and your poinsettia will look good all through the holidays! 

 

National Poinsettia Day

  Today is National Poinsettia Day. The date marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American botanist, physician, and Minister to Mexico who in 1828 sent cuttings of the plant he'd discovered in Southern Mexico to his home in Charleston, South Carolina.

    In July of 2002, the House of Representatives created Poinsettia Day, passing a Resolution to honor Paul Ecke Jr. who is considered the father of the poinsettia industry. It was Paul Ecke's discovery of a technique which causes seedlings to branch that allowed the Poinsettia industry to flourish. Every year, Poinsettias contribute upwards of $250,000,000 to the U.S. economy-at the wholesale level! Poinsettias are the best selling potted plant in the U.S. and Canada.

   In Mexico the plant is called La Flor de la Nochebuena or, Flower of the Holy Night and is displayed in celebration of the December 12th, Dia de la Virgen. Use of the plant to celebrate Christmas in Mexico dates back to the 17th century.

Selection and Care of your Christmas Tree

Well, like it or not, it’s that time of year when we will be getting and setting up a Christmas tree.  If you use a real tree, here are some tips to make it look good throughout the holiday season.

Getting the tree should be the last thing you do. First, you should get the space ready in your home. Get the stand out and ready to put the tree in, because once you get it home, you want to set it up in water just as soon as possible.

You want your Christmas tree to be as fresh as possible so that it will look better, last longer, and be less of a fire hazard.

To get the freshest tree, cut one at a local Christmas tree grower. If you go to a tree lot, take your time to select a tree that has not gotten too dried out. Grab it and thump the butt end on the ground a couple of times. If lots of needles fall off, put it back and keep looking. You can also bend the needles - a fresh tree’s needles will be somewhat flexible.  A dried out tree will have needles snapping like matchsticks.

 Once you get your tree home, cut ½ inch off the bottom of the trunk and immediately put it in water.  Check the water reservoir daily and keep it filled with water.

 Keep the tree away from hot drafts and open flames.  As soon as Christmas is over, remove and recycle your tree.

Late Season Angel's Trumpet

'Earth Angel' angel's trumpet

The frost has stopped my angel's trumpet that are growing in the ground from further bloom.  However, I have this one in a pot in a protected area.  The variety is 'Earh Angel.'  It has been a prolific bloomer since late summer.

If your plants have been nipped by the frost, then it is time to take cuttings to store for the winter unless you have a greenhouse.  There are several ways to do this.  Which ever method you try be sure to only save cutting that have the white bumps(lenticels) onthe stem.  If the stem is smooth it will not produce roots.

Some of my Master Gardeners cut long pieces and put them in a bucket of water in an area protected from freezing.  By spring the stems have formed roots and are ready for planting.

I sometimes make cutting about 12 inches long and stick them into a bucket of potting soil and let them form roots.  The problem is that I sometimes forget to water them since they are in the basement.  So I end up with dead plants.

The last couple of years I have been cutting the stems into 12 inch pieces and putting them into a plastic grocery bag and rolling them up and leave them in the basement.  Do not forget to put a name label in each bag.  By March they have started making roots. I remove the cuttings from the bags and put them in potting soil.  I have left some cuttings in the bag until July and they made plants.

For the angel's trumpet roots left in the ground, cover them with a 3 - 4 inch layer of much to protect them from the winter cold.