Outstanding in a Field

Welcome to the barn and the West End Blog...

We receive many questions from those who enjoy real Christmas trees and wreaths and I'll do my best to respond to your queries here so that we can all gain a greater understanding of this great product.

The current question du jour relates to the drought conditions much of the country has endured this year and how that affects Christmas trees.

First of all, the mountains of North Carolina have received some rainfall this spring and summer, and those hardy Fraser Firs still look good...and with a little more rain and an adequate amount of phosphorus and calcium in the soil and a couple of good hard frosts the trees will be in good shape come harvest.

The aforementioned nutrients are more important to needle retention than moisture...they impact the strength of the connection bewteen the needle and the stem/branch. We tend to believe that the lack of rainfall has had a negative impact on overall growth, but not the overall health or beauty of the trees.