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10 tips on how to choose a quality Christmas tree for the New Year
Experts from Roskachestvo told you which tree to buy so as not to harm yourself or nature.
The first Christmas tree bazaars have already opened. Together with them, the eternal debate unfolded about whether it is ethical to buy a living tree and thereby destroy nature. And it seems that it is time to put an end to this eternal dispute. , which tree is less harmful to both man and nature, how to choose the right Christmas tree, and an expert florist, an employee of the “Yolochki with a needle” store Yevgeniy Tunik gave advice on how to keep the Christmas tree fluffy all the holidays.
This is the main question. It turns out that the most interested party in the issue – environmentalists advise choosing a living Christmas tree for decoration. Only illegal logging does damage to nature. And those trees that are sold at legal Christmas tree bazaars are grown in specialized nurseries. Another option – trees are cut down during the duty felling where they should not be: on the roadsides, in the area of gas pipelines, in the power transmission line zone. In addition, sanitary felling is sometimes arranged in the forest: so that the soil is not depleted, the trees are thinned out. The excess is given for sale.
“Growing ten natural Christmas trees on a special plantation causes less damage to nature than producing one artificial one. If a tree has a legal, not poaching, origin, then it is better than an artificial one from the point of view of nature preservation, “says Marina Shalginskikh, an environmental trainer, a member of the Separate Collection environmental movement.
Most often, a Christmas tree or a pine tree is chosen at Christmas tree bazaars. An ordinary tree is a classic. She also has an amazing aroma, but still this tree is more familiar to us than the others. But he has a drawback – spruce crumbles faster than pine. Pine trees are also cheaper – all because of their rapid growth. But they also have a minus: pine is a very resinous tree. And to get rid of drops of tar in the apartment … You yourself understand – the pleasure is below average.
In addition, Norman spruces can be found in the Christmas tree markets. Their distinctive feature is fluffy paws with flat needles. There are also Danish firs, very lush trees with short needles. They boast incredible durability – such a fir can delight you for a whole month. But there is also a drawback: the price. Foreign firs are more expensive than domestic Christmas trees.
The thicker the trunk of the spruce, the older the tree. With a spruce height of 1,5 m, the diameter of the base of the trunk should be about 6-10 cm. If it is less, it is most likely that the tree lacked nutrients. This will quickly begin to crumble and dry out. In addition, the older the tree, the fluffier it is. Please note: the trunk of a healthy Christmas tree has no traces of mold, various fungi and other signs of disease, and is also covered with needles. Look at the cut: if there is a wide dark border on it, the tree will not last long.
Rub a few needles in your hand or warm the tip of the twig with your breath. Felt a pronounced pine scent? This is a good sign. Important: if you run your hand along the branch and there are needles on your fingers, it means that the Christmas tree begins to crumble. Branches, by the way, should be flexible, easy to bend at hand, even in the cold.
The needles should be uniform green. Dry, red or brown needles are a sign that the tree was cut down a long time ago. Yellowness is also a harbinger of the imminent death of a tree.
The tree needs to be unpacked and hit several times with the trunk on the ground. Not too much, just to get it fluffed up. When the tree is wrapped in twine, all the branches are pressed against the trunk, and it is difficult to determine whether you have chosen a fluffy tree or not. During this manipulation, the needles should not crumble.
A live tree, despite all the obvious advantages, can be dangerous.
“Indeed, on felled coniferous crops in winter there are quite a lot of different species of insects, spiders, ticks,” says Zoya Nikolaeva, Doctor of Biological Sciences, professor at the Russian State Agricultural University named after K.A. Timiryazev. – Many of them are crop pests, others use the tree for overwintering. All insects are dormant. But in a warm room, they usually wake up and activate. These insects are not dangerous to humans and animals, they feed on plants. Ixodid ticks are dangerous. They usually do not live in trees, but prefer grass cover. Therefore, it is unlikely to introduce ixodid ticks with spruce or pine. To clean the spruce from insects and ticks, it is advisable to hold it in the bathtub for several hours (3-4) before installing it, remove the bark from the lower part of the trunk, then shake the tree several times over the bathtub and wash off the fallen insects, ”the expert says.
A freshly cut spruce can stand in an apartment for about 8 days, a pine – for about 12. To extend its life, it is better to put the tree away from heating appliances. And not right away: first you need to hold the tree in a cool place, in the garage, on the balcony or in the basement if you live in a private house. Bring the tree into the warmth already on the eve of the holiday. The fact is that due to the sharp temperature drop, the tree can quickly crumble.
The room where you put the tree should be as cool as possible. Try to open the window as often as possible. By the way, the tree will delight you not only with festive decorations, but also with volatile substances useful for the body.
“Phytoncides of spruce and pine stimulate life processes, improve metabolism. Inhalation of air saturated with pine phytoncides can increase blood pressure in people, ”says Zoya Nikolaeva.
Many stores offer special stands for live felled spruce trees. They perfectly fix the tree, and you can also pour water into them. In this case, the water should be cold. Alternatively, you can spray the tree with a spray bottle. Aspirin and sugar are the last century. Now in any supermarket you can buy a product to extend the life of felled trees. The instructions describe in detail in what proportions the product should be mixed with water and how often it should be added.
One of the most significant drawbacks of a natural Christmas tree is that it needs to be thrown out after the holidays. And it’s always a pity for the trees sticking out of garbage cans forlornly! Is there no more worthy use for them? It turns out there is.
Live Christmas trees can (and should) be handed over to special collection points for further processing so that they can be useful.
“The most common way to dispose of Christmas trees in the world is chipping, which is used in nurseries. Some European cities use sawdust and pine needles for heating for several months after the New Year. There are examples of using trunks by furniture factories, and needles as animal feed, ”said Marina Shalginskikh.
Or maybe it’s still artificial?
Synthetic beauty will serve you for more than one year. Or maybe even more than a dozen years. But if you only choose a quality Christmas tree. Poor quality harms nature twice: during production and during disposal. The fact is that there is no sustainable way to dispose of a synthetic tree. They are either burned, adding carcinogens to the atmosphere, or left to rot in a landfill, where a tree poisons the soil and water.
Signs of a good artificial Christmas tree:
– the needles from the branches do not pull out, and the branches are slightly bent;
– the tree has no smell – none at all;
– the package contains information about the presence or absence of harmful chemicals in the starting materials, about the processing of the tree with anti-flammable substances. The electric garland can only be hung on a fire-resistant tree;
– on the label – date of manufacture and information about the manufacturer. Mandatory in Russian;
– the tree has a certificate and a declaration of conformity – you can always ask the seller for them.