Frequently Asked Questions

Tree shaking is a quick mechanical pass we give every tree right after it’s cut, to knock loose interior needles and debris off the tree before it’s baled. That way, a lot of what would otherwise end up on your living room floor stays behind at the farm instead. Shaking happens right before baling, and both are part of our free process for every cut-your-own tree.

Tree baling wraps the branches snugly against the tree with lightweight netting. It makes the tree much easier to carry, load into or onto a vehicle, get through doorways, and position in your tree stand. At our cut-your-own farms, we shake and bale your tree for free. Leave the netting on while you transport the tree and until it’s positioned in the stand, then carefully cut the netting away.

Start with what matters most to you: fragrance, needle retention, branch strength, softness, or the overall shape of the tree. Balsam Fir is our classic choice for strong Christmas fragrance, Fraser Fir is a great all-around tree with excellent needle retention and sturdy branches, and every variety we grow has its own strengths.

Compare all of our Christmas tree varieties →

If fragrance is your top priority, start with a Balsam Fir, it’s the classic “smells like Christmas” tree and the strongest-scented variety we grow. Canaan Fir is another fragrant choice, with somewhat sturdier branches. Fraser Fir has a pleasant scent too, but it’s noticeably milder than the other two.

Needle retention depends on both the variety and how well the tree is cared for once it’s inside. Among the trees we grow, Fraser Fir, Scotch Pine, and White Pine are all strong choices if long-lasting needles are your top priority. But even the strongest variety will drop needles early if it dries out indoors, so proper watering makes at least as much difference as the species you pick. You can compare needle retention across all of our tree varieties to see how each one stacks up.

If you cut your own tree at one of our farms, it was obviously harvested that day. The pre-cut trees at our Twin Cities tree lots are harvested and replenished throughout the Christmas season, so we’re continually putting fresh trees out for customers rather than selling from one big harvest back in November.

If you’re not putting your tree up right away, keep it cool and protected, an unheated garage or a shaded spot outside both work well. If you’ll be storing it for more than a short time, stand the cut trunk in clean water rather than leaving it dry.

When you’re ready to bring it inside, make a fresh, straight cut of about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the trunk (avoid an angled or V-shaped cut) and get it into a water-filled stand as soon as you can. That fresh cut reopens the tree’s water-conducting tissue, so don’t make the cut and then let the tree sit drying before it goes into water. Once it’s in the stand, keep the cut end submerged.

It’s fine to leave the tree baled while you store or transport it, baling just makes it easier to handle, not fresher.

Some brown needles inside a Christmas tree are completely normal. Evergreens naturally shed their oldest interior needles, so seeing some brown needles close to the trunk doesn’t mean the tree is unhealthy or dried out. At our farms we shake freshly cut trees before baling them, which removes many of those already-loose interior needles before the tree ever reaches your living room.

Green exterior needles should generally be flexible and firmly attached. Heavy loss of green outer needles can be a sign that a tree has become too dry.

Keeping a tree fresh indoors comes down to one thing above all: never let it run out of water. If the trunk has been sitting out of water, make a fresh, straight cut of about 1/2 inch from the base right before you put the tree in the stand, and get the cut trunk into water as promptly as you can.

Use a stand that holds enough water for the size of your tree, and fill it with plain tap water, no sugar, syrup, aspirin, or other additives are necessary, and the water’s temperature doesn’t matter. Check the water level often, especially during the first several days, when a freshly cut tree can drink a surprising amount. Never let the water level drop below the bottom of the trunk.

If the water does drop below the trunk and the cut surface is exposed to air for several hours, water uptake can suffer. A new fresh cut can restore it.

Keep the tree away from fireplaces, heating vents, space heaters, and strong direct sunlight, heat sources dry a tree out faster, and cooler conditions in the room will help it stay fresh longer.

The simplest rule is also the most important one: keep the bottom of the trunk underwater.

B&J Evergreen runs two cut-your-own Christmas tree farms in central Minnesota, both an easy drive from the Twin Cities or St. Cloud: the Clear Lake farm (12946 47th St SE, Clear Lake, just off US-10 between St. Cloud and the metro) and the Princeton farm (9419 Highway 95, Princeton). Free saws, free shaking and baling, and free family events on select weekends, see the first-timer’s guide for how it works.

B&J Evergreen runs three Twin Cities Christmas tree lots each season: Eden Prairie at Eden Prairie Center, St. Louis Park at Louisiana Oaks Park, and Richfield at Veterans Park, the Richfield lot has been in the same spot for more than 30 years. Most of the lot is grown on our own Minnesota farms and trucked in fresh, alongside hand-made wreaths, garland, and porch pots. Hours for all three are on the hours & events page.

Yes, we accept cash, check, or credit cards at every farm and lot.

A tree bag keeps disposal simple, with no trail of needles through the house in January. Put it on before you bring the tree inside: poke a hole in the bottom, feed the trunk through, then set the tree in its stand. Once the tree is standing, drape the bag around the base like a skirt so it’s ready to go. When the season’s over, just pull the bag up and over the tree and carry it out.