WETHERSFIELD, Conn. — Some heading to local Christmas tree farms may be wondering whether drought conditions over the fall have put a damper on the holiday spirit and supply.
The short answer: no.
“We haven’t had any problems so far,” said Jared Christensen, manager of Anderson Farms in Wethersfield.
However, Christensen said one effect of the dry season people will have to deal with if they take a real tree home is that the trees will need more water than they usually do.
Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines
“Last year, we had more of a wet summer and fall, so they weren’t drinking as much to keep them more alive, so this year you’ll definitely need to keep an eye more on the water. I’ve heard some people every six hours at the beginning and then it kind of tapers off,” Christensen said.
Upkeep is important. Anderson Farms added new tags to its trees this year with care instructions.
“When you buy one, we put a fresh cut on the bottom for you and then the first watering you use hot water for it, that will kind of break down the hardened sap that it’s gotten over time and let it drink more water and then after that, you just do cool water and you gotta keep it full so it doesn’t dry out,” Christensen said.
Christensen is not too concerned about growth for next year, but said that the younger trees that still don't have fully developed root systems might suffer a bit. He said it is hard to say how much this year’s drought will affect things as potential impacts would not be seen for a few years at least.
Angelo Bavaro is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at abavaro@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook and X.
MORE NEWS:
Cooler malfunction spoils Thanksgiving leftovers, meals for distribution at Willimantic soup kitchen
---
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.