Choosing your Christmas tree

Christmas is upon us. At this time you should be looking around for a good Christmas tree you are going to use to decorate your living room.

So what is your tree of choice? Will you go plastic or natural? Or will you nurture your own Christmas tree? Hakim Babara, a salesperson with Mukwano Tree Planting Association on Mukwano Access Road says they have three types of Christmas tree available. They is the Cedar species commonly known as the Christmas tree in Uganda; the Cedar species commonly known Sedero and the Cedar Suya.

The Christmas tree
‘If you want to decorate, we can cut you a branch from a big tree, because it grows wild. It can be about Shs10,000. For those branches, we have artificial pots. You don’t have to put soil in it. The artificial pots are Shs15,000,’ says Babara.

If you put soil in the pot and water it daily, this decorative branch will last through Christmas and the New Year. This can work from mid-December up to 2nd January, when you are supposed to take it down. However, you could stretch it even up to 10th January.

However, you can buy a small tree and plant it in a pot, if you want to have a tree you can use for multiple Christmas seasons. Such a tree goes for Shs7000 and a small clay pot, about 20 cubic centimeters, is Shs20,000. Once you have positioned it in your living room it will need watering, even though it may be decorated.

“It needs watering, but not daily. Trees are not like flowers. For one in a small pot, water it once every three days. Water it in the morning or in the evening. After Christmas, if you want to continue growing the tree for future use, you need to transfer it to a bigger pot of about 35 to 40 cubic centimetres.
You need to look for somebody who knows how to do it, otherwise you may make a loss. The person needs to pull it out slowly and put it into the bigger pot,” says Babara.

You will need the bigger pot five to six months after Christmas, because the tree will have overgrown the pot. Put the tree in a corner of your verandah, for example and let it grow there, waiting for the next Christmas season. It will grow slowly, because it will be in a pot. Keep pruning it to maintain the conical shape suitable for decorating.

Keep examining the plant to find out if it needs a bigger pot. It will turn a yellowish colour; or if you are watering it and there seems to be no change in its health for the better. After putting it into the bigger pot, the plant will take you through three to four Christmas seasons, depending on how well you look after it. Whenever, it changes colour, change the soil. After three to four years, it may then need an even bigger pot.

Alternatively, if you want to maintain it in the same pot, take out the plant and prune the roots. Cut off only the roots that have overgrown the pot. Don’t cut off all the roots. For example, don’t cut them up to the stem. Just cut the ones that have over shot the pot’s perimeters.
You can keep pruning the roots and keeping the tree in the same pot until you get tired of it. It can go on forever.

The Cedar Suya
The difference between this tree and the Christmas tree is that this one does not grow wild. It does not need pruning. It grows into a nice conical shape. There are different types of Cedar Suya, commonly referred to as Suya. You can differentiate them by colour. There is the yellow the green and the grey types.

The grey one needs a little shaping, because its canopy grows into a round shape. If you want the Suya for decorating at Christmas, choose the yellow and green types. Look after it the same way you would, the Christmas tree, by pruning the roots when they overgrow. The tree itself does not need pruning and will grow into a lovely conical shape.

The Sedero
This species of Cedar looks more like the Christmas tree. The difference is that its stem is not strong and will keep swaying, especially in the wind. It is flexible, but will not break. The Christmas tree is a better choice for decorating though, because you need a stable tree for that. Otherwise your decorative baubles, for example, may fall off it from time to time.

Choose your Christmas tree now. You will then find it easier to shop for your decorations according to its size. If you intend to keep it for multiple Christmas seasons, then you can shop for long lasting decorations that suit its size. By 20th December you can start decorating, when most family members are around and can participate.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com