Local Tree Farm Gives Tips on Preserving Your Perfect Christmas Pine

(KNSI) – Hinkemeyer Tree Farm in Rice has been around for 53 years, a constant even as customer preferences have changed.

Co-owner Randy Thiel talks about what is popular this year. “We’re certainly seeing a big push towards fir trees. Fraser firs, in particular. [It] seemed like people were getting bigger trees, lot of nine to 10-foot Fraser firs.”

Thiele says no matter the trend, make sure your pine fits your home. He recommends measuring the living room both vertically and horizontally to figure out what size works best. He reminds customers that it always looks smaller on the farm than it does once it has been brought inside. Another tip is to take the height of the tree stand and tree topper into account.

Thiele believes you should take everything into consideration before you pick the type of tree, including children and pets. “I always recommend for people that have small children, two or three years old, or cats, to get a tree that has sharp needles, like, for instance, a blue spruce. That tends to invoke enough pain that the little kids won’t do anything to hurt themselves, and the cats won’t play around in the tree.”

Only one instance where it goes from ‘Oh, Tannenbaum,’ to ‘Yow! Tannenbaum’ will do the trick.

Thiele says traditional favorites like Scotch or white pines always have a devoted following, as well. Once you have cut down the perfect Christmas tree, get it shaken, and baled, there’s still more work to do to ensure it thrives through the holiday season. Thiele gives two tips that will guarantee it is properly cared for.

“I think the number one thing is, make sure you give it a fresh cut right before you put it up. Cut about a quarter-inch to an inch off the bottom of the stump, and then get it in water immediately, and don’t let the water run out. The other thing is, take a look at where you’re placing it. If you have a heat vent anywhere near that might be blowing on the tree, shut the heat vent, cover the heat vent.”

The Rice tree farm has been busy the past three weekends. It closes up for the year on Sunday.

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