Alive Or Artificial? Which Christmas Tree To Choose?

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Alive Or Artificial? Which Christmas Tree To Choose?
Alive Or Artificial? Which Christmas Tree To Choose?

Video: Alive Or Artificial? Which Christmas Tree To Choose?

Video: Alive Or Artificial? Which Christmas Tree To Choose?
Video: How to choose the best artificial Christmas Tree: REVIEW & GUIDE 2024, March
Anonim

The traditional theme for December is Christmas trees. There are a lot of texts and beautiful pictures, I will allow myself to speak on this matter. True, I will immediately make a reservation that I will not insist and promote any one, specific idea. Everyone should choose and decide for themselves, because there are always pros and cons. But in order to choose, you need to own some kind of information. So which Christmas tree to choose? In the article I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular options today.

Alive or artificial? Which Christmas tree to choose?
Alive or artificial? Which Christmas tree to choose?

Content:

  • Artificial Christmas tree
  • Fir-trees felled
  • Living coniferous plant in a container
  • My choice is to decorate the tree in the garden

Artificial Christmas tree

Very nice and durable, usually bought for a long time - 10 (15, 20) years. The advocates of this idea argue that by buying such a “forest beauty”, they take care of nature and save the forest from logging.

But it is quite obvious that most of these plastic jewelry is made in huge quantities in China. And there they are not yet very concerned about emissions of harmful substances and other "greenhouse effects". Such production is not only harmful to the environment, but also can be toxic to workers and customers. Add here transportation around the world by plane and car and we get a sad picture.

But sooner or later they are thrown away. Particles of plastic eventually become part of the soil and the world's oceans. Birds and dolphins die en masse after swallowing such food. In general, plastic Christmas trees do not fit into modern trends, when people begin to understand the danger of polyethylene bags and disposable plastic dishes.

For me, there is another important aspect - aesthetic. The synthetic tree is as ridiculous as the plastic flowers in the cemetery or the plastic dieffenbachia in the office.

Experts advise: if you buy a synthetic Christmas tree, then at least 20 years, then it is environmentally justified. And note, all these 20 years you need to store it somewhere and clean it from dust (a pleasure, say, so-so).

Experts advise: if you buy a synthetic tree, then at least 20 years, then it is environmentally justified
Experts advise: if you buy a synthetic tree, then at least 20 years, then it is environmentally justified

Fir-trees felled

Most probably know that those plants that end up in the Christmas tree markets are specially grown in nurseries for this. Only, unlike growing cut flowers, this process takes several years and the plant dies.

Well, what is there to be sorry about? Indeed, to replace the felled ones, thousands of new seedlings will be planted. Moreover, sometimes it is necessary to clear the forest from excess plants or remove vegetation under the power lines. It turns out - benefits for nature and beauty in the house.

Only now, many people are so arranged that they feel sorry for yesterday the still living plants that stand on the asphalt today. I'm personally sorry. After all, I grow plants with my own hands and I know how much effort, patience and time you need to spend to grow a 1.5 meter coniferous plant.

Another, in my opinion, important question. What to do with “spent” trees after the holidays? If you are a zealous gardener, then everything goes into business for you, and a dried and shredded tree is an excellent mulching material. And if you are a city dweller of a high-rise building? Did they demolish it on January 15 and put it near the garbage containers? All? Has the problem been resolved?

Not certainly in that way. It turns out that the disposal method is very important. If you believe information from various web resources, a standard 1.5-2 meter tree, decomposing in a landfill, emits 16 kg of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is because when wood decays, methane is released, the greenhouse effect of which is many times stronger than that of carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide). It is in the forest that dead trees are beneficial, and the processes there are slightly different, not the same as in the landfill.

Another important aspect for me is our children. My daughter, already in childhood, asked the question: "Has the Christmas tree already died?" Or, as it was sung in that old song, “they cut down our tree to the very spine, and now she came to us dressed up for a holiday” … Some kind of absurdity. How to explain all this to them? Especially about the benefits of sanitary felling?

By the way, it is worth remembering that you need to ask the sellers for documents: what kind of trees are these? Where from? In order not to encourage poaching logging.

Most of the plants that legally end up in the Christmas tree bazaars are specially grown in nurseries for this
Most of the plants that legally end up in the Christmas tree bazaars are specially grown in nurseries for this

Living coniferous plant in a container

Buy a live (truly live) Christmas tree. Here I will make a reservation. By the word tree, I mean any coniferous plant suitable for this New Year's role: spruce, fir, juniper, pine, cypress, thuja, etc. So, buy a live Christmas tree in a container, celebrate the holidays with it and then solemnly plant it with the whole family in your garden for permanent residence. Nice and noble … Sounds.

Only this option, in my opinion, is from the series “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. It seems to me that it was invented by marketers from garden centers to sell goods in the off-season, when people have little interest in gardening. Why? The answer is simple - not everyone has the right conditions for this, and not everyone has the necessary experience to bring this, in general, not cheap, purchase to landing in open ground. Most of these plants die.

And now in more detail. For a start, it's worth remembering plant physiology. Deciduous crops have a period of deep physiological rest. When a plant is literally completely disconnected from the outside world, and even a high temperature cannot bring it out of this state. So it is genetically inherent, and in different plants this period has a different duration.

For example, if in November grape cuttings are brought into the house and put into water, then even if they stand above the battery, the buds will not open on them (deep physiological rest). But if the same cuttings are brought into the house closer to the New Year, then the buds will safely open and begin the growing season (the period of deep dormancy is over).

In conifers (winter-green), everything is completely different, they do not have this phase. And their "winter sleep" is only the effect of low temperatures. And here you are, armed with good intentions to green your house, garden, and at the same time the planet, go to the garden center and buy for a lot of money a full-size (1.5-2 meter) New Year's beauty in a container. Note that it stands outside, at low or even negative temperatures.

Bring it into the house where the temperature is above +20 degrees. What's happening? The plant, having got into the warm atmosphere (in every sense) of your home, receives a signal - "spring" and begins to come to life. Sap flow increases, the kidneys begin to develop. Of course, all this does not happen in one day, the plant needs time for these metamorphoses.

But we also buy the tree in advance and keep it until the old New Year, that is, 2, or even 3 weeks. But this is already quite enough to get out of hibernation. The holidays are over, where is it now? Plant in the garden? Aha, in the cold! It is clear that the awakened defenseless kidneys will immediately freeze. And conifers are very vulnerable, they almost die or "get sick" for a couple of years.

Keep at home at high temperatures? As I said, not everyone has the conditions and experience for this. All right, a Christmas tree - "desktop version" - put on the windowsill and keep it until spring, and in the spring - in open ground. But what if you bought the full-size version, bulky?

The seller will advise you to keep the coniferous plant away from heating devices and spray it daily with water (with electric garlands !!!). Only it is unlikely to help. The best option: such a tree, awakened by the holidays, is again placed in the cold, but not in the frost. Approximately + 5 … + 8 degrees, and if wider - not lower than 0, but not higher than +10 degrees, and keep it until spring.

Do you have such a cold room? I have. An excellent place for wintering container seedlings of coniferous (and not only) plants. A standard window is quite capable of providing the small amount of light they need.

Sellers advise keeping the coniferous plant in a container away from heating appliances and sprinkling it daily with water, but it is unlikely to help
Sellers advise keeping the coniferous plant in a container away from heating appliances and sprinkling it daily with water, but it is unlikely to help

If the tree has successfully taken root in the garden …

Another interesting and overlooked aspect of this option. Well, well, suppose you managed to safely bring this Christmas tree to spring and planted it in the ground. Will history repeat itself in a year? Children grow up for a long time, and we mainly put trees for them (and then the grandchildren will go). So it turns out that for many years you will plant conifers in your garden in the spring, turning your garden into a small coniferous forest.

Everyone might like this? Does this suit everyone? Personally, I do, I love these noble, beautiful and, in general, unpretentious plants. Someone will object, they say, it is not necessary to plant in your garden, you can plant greenery on a vacant lot, a park and even a forest. I have few acquaintances who are ready to shell out a lot of money for a coniferous seedling, and then take it to the forest. Well, it would have remained there, because they will dig it up in hot pursuit, that's what is offensive, and carried it to the market.

My choice is to decorate the tree in the garden

So what do you do? To celebrate without a tree? Also a mess. My option is as follows: we plant a beautiful coniferous plant of a classic conical shape in open ground near the house so that it can be seen from the windows. Choose the type, variety, size based on your tastes, the size of the local area and the size of the wallet.

We decorate this tree for the New Year and we must hang special outdoor, safe electric garlands. On holidays, we dance around her, open champagne and take a selfie. Are you cold? We return to the warmth of the house, sit down at the table with Olivier and continue to celebrate, and the Christmas tree sparkling with lights outside the window creates the necessary festive mood.

There is, however, another option, which is also popular today. Make some kind of a Christmas tree with your own hands from any available means (pieces of wood, paper and even wine corks). But here you need to have hands, some kind of creative mindset and materials. So try it. High-quality electric garlands will hide all the flaws.

Upcoming holidays!

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