We still have a large selection of gorgeous trees, wreaths, swags, garland and poinsettias. Wegman's extended hours, open until 7 pm, will end Monday. Our delivery elves are available to bring your holiday decorations to your door.

Wegman’s wants your tree to be as fresh for Christmas as it was when you first chose it! Here are some tips from the experts at Wegman’s.

Make a Fresh Cut

Make a fresh cut on the butt of the tree when you get the tree home. This will open pores which have been clogged by sap. Cut off at least one-half inch. The freshly cut surface should be creamy white, not yellow or brown. If you do not make a fresh cut, the tree will not be able to absorb water. After the cut is made, put the tree in water. The longer the time between the fresh cut and when the tree is put in water, the sooner the pores clog, reducing the tree’s ability to absorb water. Even if a hole is drilled to accommodate a pin-type stand, a fresh cut should be made.

Put Your Tree in Water Immediately--

If your tree will not be brought immediately into the home and decorated, it should be kept out of wind and sun with the base immersed in a pail of water. Add to this water a can of non-diet lemon-lime soda. Soda contains sugar, which aids in metabolism, and carbonation prevents bacteria from clogging pores. Before the tree is brought into the home, carefully rinse the water reservoir of the tree stand with a mixture of one tablespoon of bleach and one cup of water. This also minimizes the presence of micro-organisms that can block the tree’s ability to absorb water. After rinsing, insert tree, and adjust. Then fill reservoir with a mixture of Tree Moist Plus (per the instructions on the package) or use Greener’N Ever solution to keep the tree properly hydrated. Tree Moist Plus stores water in a crystal form that reduces tree watering and water spillage. The crystals absorb water like a sponge and release it over an extended period of time. It also contains a preservative to prevent bacterial growth. Greener’N Ever is a liquid preservative diluted at one ounce to a gallon of water and is added to the tree’s reservoir as needed.

Water Daily--A Must!

Like cut flowers, cut trees continue to absorb water. If the water level drops below the cut end of the trunk, the pores will clog, preventing the tree from absorbing water. Continue adding preservative solution to the water as needed. If the tree is going into an environment with very low humidity, spraying it with CloudCover the day before moving the tree indoors will help the foliage retain moisture, keeping your tree looking fresh. Wegman’s can spray your tree with CloudCover before you take it home if you wish.

Mini-Lights Produce Minimum Heat

Miniature lights produce much less heat than the older kinds of tree lights and reduce the lights’ drying effect upon a tree. Always check light sets for frayed or cracked wire insulation and broken sockets before placing them on a tree. Do not attempt to repair a worn light set. Throw the defective light set away and buy a new set. Always turn off the lights on your tree when leaving the house or retiring for the night.
Keep Away from Heat Sources

To further decelerate the drying of your tree, place it away from heat sources such as heating vents, fireplaces, wood stoves and fireplace inserts, radiators, television sets, or sunny windows. Situating your tree away from these sources of heat will also help minimize the chances of your tree catching fire. For safety’s sake, be careful not to block a door with the tree or rearranged furniture.

Remove the Tree Promptly

After Christmas, before the tree dries completely, remove it from the house for pick-up by your local disposal service or your local chipping and compost program. Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove or fireplace unless it has been seasoned for a year.
Special Notes for Fire-Retarded and Flocked Trees

The chemicals used to fire-retard trees retard flame. They will not prevent your tree from erupting in flame should the tree come into contact with a significant or prolonged source of intense heat or fire. Fire-retarded trees will draw some water, so follow the above directions for keeping trees watered.

Flocked trees, on the other hand, do not draw water. Flocking also tends to retard flame, so it is generally unnecessary to undergo flame-retarding as well. If the tree is for a commercial or public building or space, however, the local Fire Marshal mandates that such trees be fire-retarded whether or not they are flocked.

All deciduous fruit trees must be pruned and dormant-sprayed yearly usually in late December or through January. Pruning maintains the trees at a suitable size, removes dead and crossing branches, permits light to reach ripening fruit and, if necessary, eliminates diseased twigs and branches. Flowers and fruit develop differently on different kinds of trees. For example, the fruit on apple and peach trees develops on different parts of each tree, therefore the pruning person must know how to avoid some unfortunate mistakes. The novice gardener should invest in a pruning booklet such as Ortho’s All About Pruning or better yet attend Wegman’s Fruit Tree Pruning Seminar on January 4, 2009 from 1 pm to 3 pm before attempting to prune trees in your home orchard.

Dormant spraying is normally done right after the trees are pruned. Spraying before pruning is wasteful of time, effort and materials since much of the tree will soon be removed and discarded. The purpose of dormant spraying is to kill overwintering insects and their eggs and to control bacteria and fungi which will cause disease in the plants. One of the prime examples of plants beset by fungus disease is peach and nectarine trees. These trees are susceptible to a disease called Peach Leaf Curl. All varieties of peach and nectarine trees are susceptible but not any other kinds of fruit trees.

The diseased tree will have thick, gnarled, warty, reddish foliage that soon discolors and falls off. In severe cases, the fruit will be similarly affected. Once the symptoms appear, there is no current cure for the disease. Proper treatment can prevent the disease during the following year.

To prevent Peach Leaf Curl, the tree should ideally be sprayed three times: the end of November, the end of December and most important, the end of January. Once the buds have swollen to the point of showing any color, it is too late to spray to prevent the disease. The best material to use for spraying is Lilly Miller’s Microcop fungicide. To be effective, any fungicide must contain at least 80% copper sulfate. Microcop contains 90% but Liqui-cop, which other stores recommend, contains only 31% and is not effective. Wegman’s recommends that Pest Fighter Year Round (Horticultural) Spray Oil be mixed with the Microcop solution at the same time to take care of any insect pests on the tree.

If there are any dry, shriveled fruits (mummies) left on the tree, they should be removed before spraying the tree. Additionally, all fallen leaves should be raked, collected and disposed of in the garden debris collecting bin. Do not compost the leaves and prunings.

For additional information on the other deciduous fruit trees, see our Care Guide for each specific tree on Wegman’s website.

Daphne odoras do best in morning sun and afternoon shade. Give it well-draining soil (amend with compost). During summer, water only as often as needed to keep it alive. Wegman’s recommendation is to never have your Daphne on an automatic sprinkler system.

Growing Conditions
• Morning sun
• Plant high in organic, well-draining soil
• Do not over-water in summer, especially in clay soil

Size and Shape
• Evergreen
• About 3 feet tall (4 if you're lucky)
• Spreads to 4 feet or wider
• Nice rounded shape-prune to maintain shape after blooming

Flowers
• Flowers in February and March
• Flowers are pink to purple in clusters at end of branches
• Extremely pleasant fragrance