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Grow with KARE: Don’t prune evergreens now

Expensive evergreens might have you foraging around in your yard as a very local source for your holiday pots, but here’s what you should know first.

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Like everything these days, decorating with fresh greens is expensive. 

That price tag might have you foraging around in your yard as a very local source for your holiday pots, but here’s what you need to know first:

If you are going to trim one of your own trees for the greens, be sure you are willing to cut it all the way back to the trunk and lose that branch altogether.

The fine folks at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum explained that pruning evergreen branches this time of year encourages winterburn to develop throughout the coming season. You won’t notice the damage until spring when the weather warms and winterburn causes branches to turn brown and even die off.

If you do choose to prune, doing so on a less-exposed side of the tree, like the north or east side, would be your best chance, but you’re gambling with Mother Nature on this one.

A viewer also gave us a money-saving tip that doesn’t involve putting your evergreens at risk. Find a whole Christmas tree at a low price — many big box stores have some for under $40 — and trim the top and branches off yourself. 

In the end, you’ll have a lot more material for less. 

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