{"678926":{"#nid":"678926","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech Lawn and Garden: How to Keep Your Christmas Tree Alive","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom the colorful lights to the fresh scent, a quintessential Christmas tree can transform any area into the perfect holiday setting, but maintaining the decorative conifer requires care. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuentin Holden, lead tree surgeon for Landscape Services at Georgia Tech, offers tips on keeping your tree vibrant throughout the holiday season, starting with the selection process. When choosing a tree, he recommends lightly shaking a few branches to ensure the needles stay on. Falling needles indicate an unhealthy tree. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce you\u2019ve selected a tree, Holden says to make a half-inch cut at the bottom of the trunk to allow it to absorb water more efficiently. Before bringing the tree inside, Holden lets the tree branches settle outside and shed excess needles. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWater your tree right away and keep it adequately watered. Make sure your tree stand is filled with the recommended amount of water daily. Holden warns against using a fertilizer like Miracle-Gro in the tree stand, explaining that its salt-based nature will kill the tree quickly. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe also cautions against placing the tree near any heat sources in your home to ensure the tree doesn\u2019t dry out and become a safety hazard. Due to the resin on the needles, Christmas trees can be engulfed in flames in seconds, especially those that aren\u2019t properly watered. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo prevent potential tree fires, use low-heat lights, space out the lights on the tree, check for broken lights before placing them on the tree, do not overload an electrical outlet, and turn lights off when going to sleep or leaving the house.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA well-watered tree purchased after Thanksgiving, Holden says, should last through the 12 days of Christmas. When the tree has reached the end of its life, local recycling plants operate \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/keepnorthfultonbeautiful.org\/bring-one-for-the-chipper\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eprograms\u003C\/a\u003E to reuse the mulch in the community for gardens, pond habitats, and other landscaping.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Keeping your tree alive through the holiday season requires proper care.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKeeping your tree alive through the holiday season requires proper care.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Keeping your tree alive through the holiday season requires proper care.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2024-12-17 15:54:24","changed_gmt":"2024-12-17 17:14:48","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-12-17T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-12-17T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675876":{"id":"675876","type":"video","title":"Tech Lawn and Garden: How to Keep Your Christmas Tree Alive","body":"\u003Cp\u003EQuentin Holden, lead tree surgeon for Landscape Services at Georgia Tech, offers tips on keeping your tree vibrant throughout the holiday season.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1734455387","gmt_created":"2024-12-17 17:09:47","changed":"1734455387","gmt_changed":"2024-12-17 17:09:47","video":{"youtube_id":"w3P9k1_OeNE","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w3P9k1_OeNE"}},"675875":{"id":"675875","type":"image","title":"White and Gold Christmas Tree","body":null,"created":"1734454552","gmt_created":"2024-12-17 16:55:52","changed":"1734454552","gmt_changed":"2024-12-17 16:55:52","alt":"White and Gold Christmas Tree","file":{"fid":"259549","name":"GettyImages-1338344133.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/17\/GettyImages-1338344133.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/17\/GettyImages-1338344133.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":10954063,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/17\/GettyImages-1338344133.jpg?itok=hkxk8op8"}}},"media_ids":["675876","675875"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"}],"keywords":[{"id":"15278","name":"christmas"},{"id":"15631","name":"christmas tree"},{"id":"117621","name":"landscape services"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E - Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}