With Christmas just three weeks away, now is the perfect time to buy a real Christmas tree.
In the Pensacola area, there are at least six places where you can find the perfect tree to throw on the roof of your car, and Home Depot and Lowe’s may have some in stock at local stores. If not, you can always order it and have it delivered.
Here’s where you can find real Christmas trees in Pensacola.
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Bailey’s Produce & Nursery
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Address: 4301 N. Davis Highway in Pensacola
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O’clock: Trees are available Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Available: Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Oregon Nobles and Concolor Fir.
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Costs: About $109 for a 6-foot tree.
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More information: 850-332-5959 or visit the Bailey’s Produce Facebook page.
Fish River Christmas Tree Farm
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Address: 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Road, Summerdale, Alabama
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O’clock: 8am to 5pm, now through December 23
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Available: Virginia Pine, Leyland Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, Blue Ice and Murray Cypress are farm grown trees that you can harvest. Pre-cut trees include Fraser Fir and Noble Fir.
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Costs: From $71 for a 6-foot tree. A full list of prices can be found here.
Maphis nursery and tree nursery
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Address: 1534 Orange Hill Road, Chipley, Florida
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O’clock: Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
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Available: Carolina Sapphire, Leyland/Murry-x Cypress, Red Cedar, Virginia Pine, Fraser Fir.
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Costs: Prices are $12 per foot.
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Pensacola Seed & Garden
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Address: 4915 Mobile Highway in Pensacola, 6111 W. Nine Mile Road
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O’clock: Monday to Saturday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Sunday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
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Available: Douglas fir, blue spruce, Frasier fir
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Costs: Prices vary depending on size.
Pensacola Optimist Club Christmas Trees
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Address: Hitzman Optimist Park, 3221 Langley Ave.
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O’clock: Friday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
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Costs: Prices vary depending on size.
Gulf Breeze Optimist Club Christmas Trees
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Address: 100 Daniel Drive, Gulf Breeze (located at the Gulf Breeze High School sports field)
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O’clock: 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM Saturday and Sunday
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Costs: Costs vary depending on the size of the tree
Lowe’s
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Addresses: 1201 Airport Blvd., 4301 W. Fairfield Drive and 777 W. Nine Mile Road
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Opening hours: Daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m
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Available: Fraser firs, noble firs and Douglas firs
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Costs: From $27.98
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More information: Visit the Lowe’s website and enter the zip code of your local Lowe’s to see what’s in stock.
Home Depot
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Addresses: 5309 N. Davis Highway, 4525 Mobile Highway and 541 W. Nine Mile Road
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Opening hours: Daily from 6am to 9pm
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Available: Fraser firs, noble firs and Douglas firs
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Costs: From $64.29
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More information: Visit Home Depot’s website and enter the zip code of your local Lowe’s to see what’s in stock.
When is the best time to buy a new Christmas tree?
The experience of buying a new Christmas tree is hard to beat even the most expensive artificial trees, but it comes with a higher cost: maintenance. And that maintenance starts as soon as you decide when you are going to buy a Christmas tree.
If you buy one too early, you run the risk of long-term exposure to anything that happens to the tree before Christmas, including outright death. Even well-watered trees will eventually dry up, so most sources say the best time to buy a new Christmas tree is around early December.
How do you care for a living Christmas tree?
The National Christmas Tree Association offers some great tips on how to properly care for a fresh Christmas tree so it lasts until the big day.
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Make another cut – perpendicular to the axis of the stem – to remove about a ½ inch thick disk of wood from the base of the stem.
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Use a stand with sufficient water holding capacity. Stands should supply 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter.
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Place the tree in water as soon as possible. Be careful not to bruise or dirty the cutting surface.
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Check the position daily to ensure the water level does not fall below the base of the tree. In many stands, there may still be water in the stand, even though the base of the tree is no longer submerged.
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Keep trees away from large heat sources, such as fireplaces, space heaters, air vents and direct sunlight. Lowering the room temperature slows down the drying process, resulting in less water consumption per day.
Choosing a suitable stand for your Christmas tree
Choosing the right stand for your real Christmas tree is one of the most important things you can do to extend the life of your tree.
According to the Christmas Tree Association, displaying your tree in water with a reservoir-style stand is the most effective way to maintain freshness and prevent it from losing its needles.
A good rule of thumb is to provide one gallon of water per inch of trunk diameter – and to ensure you purchase a tree stand that can meet the required capacity.
Also make sure that the stand you buy fits in the trunk. A tree’s outer layers of wood are most effective at absorbing water, so avoid cutting down the trunk of your tree to fit a smaller stand.
Make a new cut to maximize water absorption
Before displaying your tree, make a fresh cut and remove about 1/2 inch of wood from the base of the trunk. A fresh cut removes all dried sap and anything else that could interfere with the amount of water your tree absorbs.
Some trees may need to be cut down a few times. It is best to make the first cut and measure how much water is in the reservoir. Wait a day and measure again. Make another cut if the tree has not absorbed water.
A fresh cut is essential to keep your tree looking fresh and vibrant all season long.
Pay close attention to where you put your Christmas tree
A real Christmas tree looks best when it is placed in a cool environment. To prevent possible fires, according to the Christmas Tree Association, it is advisable to keep your tree away from large heat sources, such as fireplaces, space heaters, vents and direct sunlight.
Lowering the temperature also slows the drying process, extending the life of your tree. Make sure you also use Christmas lights that produce little heat.
Here’s how to reduce the chance of your tree catching fire
Inspect any Christmas lights on your tree before turning them on and replace any bulbs that are not working. Also, be sure not to overload the electrical circuits to which your tree is connected and always turn off the lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
Here’s how often you should water your Christmas tree
Checking the condition of your Christmas tree should become a daily ritual. The general rule of thumb is to ensure that there is always enough water in the stand’s reservoir to cover the base of the tree.
Some tree stands can still hold water even if the base is not flooded. In these cases, the stand still needs to be topped up with water to ensure the tree has access.
This article originally appeared in Pensacola News Journal: Where to Find Real Christmas Trees in Pensacola, How to Care for Them?
