BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas spoke with Sandy Heimlich of Heimlich's Nursery & Garden in Woburn to get some Christmas tree tips—and to find out when is too early to put up a tree.
"We sold a few, it's a little early but we've sold some already," Heimlich said, three days before Thanksgiving.
A little under two weeks before Christmas is the perfect time to get your tree, Heimlich says, though there's a way to preserve it if you get it earlier.
"Well, you can buy the tree anytime, but you should leave it outside and put it in a bucket of water," Heimlich said. "I'm saying at least, I'd say, a gallon of water. When you put the tree up, it's got a fresh cut ... I'd say you should set it up a week to ten days before Christmas. Most people leave it up until after New Year's."
He said some people want to put their trees up early, but the trees drink a lot of water when first put up.
"We suggest Prolong, it's a preservative and and it helps the tree drink water," he said. "When we sell the tree, we try to sell that too."
There's a nation-wide shortage of Christmas trees, but Heimlich said he has no shortage. He does understand there may be a higher demand, as he thinks more people are ditching artificial trees for the real deal.
Heimlich said they have Balsam and Frasier Fir trees, some coming from New Hampshire and Maine, with the marjority arriving from Nova Scotia.
"There's a few that come from the West Coast, but I'd say the majority are from north," he said.
So, what are some tell-tale signs you're picking a good tree?
"Shake the tree a little bit, and if the needles fall—a few needles are gonna fall, because they've been cut a little early—but if they fall, it should look nice and green, and not a little pale green, that's not a good sign," he said.
And if anyone tells you the tree was just cut down the day before, don't believe them. Unless you did it yourself, Heimlich said, that's probably not true.
(Photo: Getty Images)
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) reports
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