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durhamregion.com THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ DECEMBER 14,2005 ♦ PAGE A7 A Clarington Community A weekly in-depth look at the communities that shape Clarington Picking the perfect tree a seasonal tradition BY JULIE CASHIN-OSTER Special to The Statesman COURTICE - When do you put up your Christmas tree? There are no hard and fast rules. For some people the first of December marks the holiday season and for others it is tradition to decorate the tree on Christmas Christmas Eve. One thing is for sure -- every year the search is on for the perfect one. This year your search may not be that difficult, as Prestonvale Tree Farm has won two awards - 2005 Champion and Reserve Champion Christmas Tree - from the Ontario Christmas Tree Farmers Farmers Association. "Every summer we get together (Ontario Christmas Christmas Tree Farmers) and have a competition. This year, for the first time, we hosted the event and we won," said Bill Bagg, owner of Prestonvale Tree Farm. There were 22 trees entered in the competition, competition, of which the Baggs had six. The trees are judged on shape, colour, density, taper, straightness and, what we all look for, holes. There are different classes of trees - spruce, pine and fur - and the Bagg's took first place in all the classes and won the championship titles. : "The competition is a way for us to leam from others," said Mr. Bagg. He added some farmers don't enter for fear they won't win. ; • - ■; Each acre of Christmas trees provides Ihe daily oxygen requirements for 18 people. Real trees are biodegradable and can be recycled. "We really try to educate families and 'We work on a 10-year rotation - plant every year and harvest every year. We planted 10,000 trees last year,' - Bill Bagg children on the importance of real trees," said Leslie Bagg. "We have a lot of school tours and a teacher's kit which is supplied by the grower's association." After the holidays, real Christmas trees can be put outside to provide shelter for birds and small animals. The trunk and branches can be made into mulch for your garden protecting the plant's roots and preventing weeds from growing. As the mulch decomposes, it provides nutrients to feed the plants. And old Christmas trees are often used to prevent soil erosion along beaches and rivers. For every Christmas tree harvested, three to four seedlings are planted in its place. The average growing time is seven years. On an average, 1,200 trees are planted per acre. About 1,000 will survive. "We work on a 10- year rotation - plant every year and harvest every year. We planted 10,000 trees last year," he said. All the trees grown on the Bagg's 64racre farm are grown from seeds. À small section of the farm is used as a seed , orchard, "Trees in the seed orchard are the trees you want. If you don't want to produce a particular type of tree; don't have it in the seed orchard." With a little help from Mother Nature the trees pollinate themselves. In March the heat is turned on in the greenhouse and 4,500 seedlings are started. The seedlings replace" the trees that were ' harvested. "A "Our biggest challenge is fire, especially especially in April before the grass turns green. Once we had a fire that started from a spark when repair was being done on the rail crossing. We lost four acres," said Mr. Bagg. Another challenge is dry summers, last summer in particular. A lot of irrigation is done at night. If trees are established they will survive. It's the young trees that are lost in a drought. Bugs and disease can-also be a problem problem but, as Mr. Bagg explained, if you keep your trees healthy they will resist natural disease. Aphids can be a problem for fur and spruce roots if the soil is too wet. However they can be kept at bay if you keep the soil well-drained and are careful where you plant. The type of soil the trees are grown in can be another issue. "We have to fertilize fertilize this soil a lot to get the correct PH balance for the trees," said Mrs. Bagg. "We just purchased a new farm in Wark- worth that was an old tobacco farm. We found out that tobacco and evergreens like the same PH - so they will do well." Christmas-tree farming is a year-round job. The trees need a lot of care; pruning is done all summer. In the spring trees are dug with the root ball on and sold to landscapers and homeowners. Requests have been made for trees in the 15- to 16-foot range. "We have very few trees that size. They are hard to take care of (pruning). Few families are looking looking for a large tree, the most common size is seven feet." Just this past week Mrs. Bagg received a request for an 18-foot tree for a house in Brooklin. "People don't realize that a tree this size is going to be about 400 pounds," commented Mr. Bagg. Real Christmas trees néed care to keep them fresh and beautiful throughout the season. Keep your tree in a cool shady place, like a porch or a garage until you are ready to bring it indoors. Saw a bit off the trunk of the tree just . before bringing it inside. This will make it easier for the tree to drink water once it is set up. Your tree should be in a sturdy stand that holds plenty of water. Check the water daily - in the first few days your tree will drink a lot. Water will keep your tree from drying out. Be sure to keep your tree away from heat - fireplaces, television sets, and computers, heat registers, etc. Always turn your lights off when you go to bed or leave your house. It is important to also check your lights for damaged cords. 1 Christmas Eve is only 10 days away. If you are looking to buy a real tree this year and would like to see what Prestonvale Prestonvale Tree Farm has to offer you can find it in Courtice at 1421 Prestonvale Rd., or give them a call at.905-434-3910. •'•-.I '•,. -v Wm '• I • ' ' 1 i • ■ ' A • tk :, HA : Ron Pietroniro photos/Metroland Durham Region Media Group Ryan Gauld wraps a tree for transporting at the Prestonvale Tree Farm. The trees are shaken and then wrapped with cord to make it easier to take home. - , : * ' Dàn Sinclair and son Stephen spent 25 minutes to find the perfect tree at the Prestonvale Tree Farm. It's an annual annual tradition for the Sinclair family to get its tree from the Clarington farm. //j mrt to m TDwaasaMl ® poWers For All Occasions From-C Heart To Yours Serving the Durham Region IIa 905 987-9844 Æ Ik,,.,,: ..a* A 866-524-04381 Est. 1976 91iappy M . Year '"leleflora.. 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