GLEN MILLS, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Even though the Philadelphia region is in the middle of a drought, there’s good news for shoppers on the lookout for the perfect Christmas tree.
Arasapha Farm in Glen Mills, Delaware County has 26,000 Christmas trees in the ground, ready to be cut down, according to owner Randy Bates. In addition, he says, the farm is bringing in about 1,000 trees from Canada.
Despite the drought, Bates says this year is shaping up to be a good one for Christmas trees. “A springtime drought really affects tree growth. The trees that we have now, that are ready to cut, have great established roots,” he said.
The reason for that, Bates tells KYW Newsradio, is that the evergreen trees go dormant at the beginning of the summer, so they’ve been fueling themselves off their spring water supply. A fall drought doesn’t really affect them while they’re in the ground.
However, Bates adds, your tree may have some small residual effects after it is cut down. “It may drink more water than usual, so you really have to keep a good eye on your tree stand and make sure it stays full of water,” he advised.
“If it does stop drinking, the best thing to do is take it out of the stand, cut off two inches of the bottom of the trunk and put it back in the stand.”
According to Bates, since the trees needed no more maintenance than in years past, his farm doesn’t plan to raise prices.