Are they trying to kill off the Christmas Tree?

I would prefer a real tree and have grown my own in the past, though the wife prefers the convenience of plastic. I cannot see what is wrong environmentally with ones. Compared to the huge area of landscape despoiled by sitka spruce plantations the amount grown for the Xmas tree trade is minimal. Some are thinnings, or tops of harvested trees. If they weren't used as Xmas trees they would either be burnt or chipped. Some farmers round here use them to make a bit of extra cash. A small amount of land seems to produce enough Xmas treesa to satisfy local demand and they don't need large inputs of fertilizer.
At Whixhall Moss, a nearby nature reserve, they have a 'cut your own Xmas tree' week end. it is to help cut down the the pine trees that are invading the surface of the raised bog area.
I did try growing a tree in a pot for a few years. I had germinated a few Norway spruce. However it never really liked life in a pot- too dry and I was never satisfied with the needles it had. Much better were the ones I planted in the garden and then cut.Spruce does need a cool damp atmosphere. Too dry an atmosphere or exposure to drying wind and you can lose all the needles on one side.

 

Student son came home from uni yesterday, with girlfriend. Funny as they get older they want the more traditional things. Must be living in a crummy house during term time makes them appreciate the home comforts. He wanted a real tree so this morning we bought a 6 foot high Norwegian spruce and it is now in the conservatory, all sparkly and lit up. You can't beat the smell of warm spruce needles.
As my son admired his handiwork it got him thinking of his childhood and I heard him telling his girlfriend that the best tree we had was one we grew in the garden. I remember the one, one of my seed grown ones. I left it a year too long and we had to cut a bit off the top because otherwise it wouldn't fit under the peaked roof of the conservatory.

 

ah, memories!! You wouldn't get that with a plastic one! :rolleyes: :D

 

Did I tell you about my parents nasty 'perennial' plastic tree and my favourite, hairy, green platypus that I insist hangs from it every Christmas? Ah, memories.

 

I love real xmas trees. but i have a plastic one. No needles to clear up, and no bugs to fight with, or watering the bucket the trees in. The last real tree we had was a nightmare. It cost a fortune and one xmas eve all 3 kittens we had decided to play catch, tag and who can remove all the baubles. This all happened whilst we were asleep. We got up in the morning to a twiggy decorated stick and a pile of needles on top of the pressies,included personalised knitted filled stockings. Ever tried to remove sticky needles from knitting? it took longer than it took to cook the turkey. Not only that but a very sticky sappy paw print appeared on a very treasured and ornate marquetry table. MMM i was neither popular nor allowed a real tree again.

 

I too got an artificial one - don't like cut trees, and ones growing in a pot, the size I like are too much for me to drag around.

So with the improvement of artificial ones - I went down that road. I miss the smell but don't miss the fallen needles.

 

I don't think kittens and christmas trees mix very well. We once had the problem of trying to remove a small kitten from the top of a tree, without knocking it over. And tom cats are inclined to do what they do to the trees in the garden.