Before you leave home
- Measure your space:
- Make sure your tree fits your space, especially your ceiling. Buying a tree that is too large can cost extra money, is extra work to put up, and can detract from the appearance of the tree.
- We provide measuring sticks at the farm.
- Check your tree stand:
- Make sure your tree stand is rated to hold the size tree that you want.
- Do you have a sturdy tree stand that will hold at least one gallon of water? Fresh trees need a constant supply of water and never want to be dried out.
- At Indian Rock Farm, we offer both conventional tree stands and the "Stand Strait" Tree Stand system for purchase. If you have a "Stand Strait" stand, or plan on purchasing one, you will need a special tapered hole drilled. This service is included in the price of the tree. See Our Services for more details.
At the Farm
- Select a tree that suits your needs:
- At Indian Rock Farm we only offer Fir species, which are the longest lasting trees with excellent needle retention and have better fragrance than any other species. Their needles are all soft to the touch, but the branches remain strong.
- Look through our field for "choose and cut your own" trees or at the front for our fresh cut trees. Feel free to ask us if you have any questions!
- Fir tree varieties we offer (Click on images below to enlarge):
- Balsam Fir: The balsam is the traditional Christmas tree with the best fragrance and excellent needle retention. Branches are a bit open and have good ornament support.
- Fraser Fir: This tree is known as the "Premium Christmas tree". It has excellent fragrance, firm branches with soft needles that have a silver appearance on the underside. It is slightly more open than the Balsam, has excellent ornament support, and is very long-lasting.
- Concolor Fir: This fir is becoming a very popular choice. It has the appearance of a scotch pine, but has soft, blue to blue/green needles. It has a unique lemon/Christmas tree fragrance and is very long lasting with excellent needle retention. Ornament support is good. People who try it often come back the next year asking for it.
At Home (Tree Placement and Care)
- Remember to make sure to always keep water in the tree stand. The water level needs to be above base of the tree trunk. We sell convenient tree watering funnels.
- When to put up your tree: Put your tree up, and water it, as soon as possible. Watering the tree continuously will allow it to last for weeks and weeks.
- What if you can't put up your tree right away? If you can't put up your tree right away, store it out of direct sunlight, in a shady place. For example, your garage or porch. Putting the end in a bucket of water will help your tree maintain its moisture level.
- Do I need to put anything special in the tree water? The most important thing you can do to maintain freshness is to always keep water in the tree stand. Trees can use a lot of water when brought into a warm, dry house in the winter, which is why we recommend a stand that can hold at least one gallon of water. If you bring the tree inside from the freezing cold, using slightly warm water will help the tree thaw out and absorb water. We do not recommend any additives to the tree water.
- Does the tree need to be in any special place in the room? You can usually put the tree anywhere that is convenient. Avoid being too close to an operating stove, space heater, or fireplace.
- If you have a Stand Strait Tree stand, make sure the special drilled hole is clean and free of mud or debris.
