16 Uses for your old Christmas Tree

I sit here looking at our Christmas tree in all of its splendor, even though it is still very pretty, it looks a little sad. The gifts are gone, so the tree looks bare. It won't be long before we take the tree down, then I will have to decide what I am going to do with the tree. That got me wondering how many different things I could come up with to use the tree. Sound like a good idea?

Some of these suggestions are only for trees that have been harvested yourself. Many trees that are purchased from retailers have been sprayed with a flame retardant and some are even treated with a dye. I actually know an owner of a Christmas tree farm that colors all of his trees. He claims that he ran a test and the trees that were not dyed did not sell as well as the colored trees. Some of the suggestions I am going to make, I would only do if you know the tree has not been treated with anything.

Homestead or Functional Uses

Most of the ideas in this section everyone will be able to agree have a true function. The ideas in this section either provide food, improve the soil, warm the body, or provide habitat for beneficial critters. 

1. A Fish Habitat.

I know I am not an artist, but you can understand from the picture.

 This is without any doubt the most common use for old live trees around here. There are nearly as many ways to do this as there are avid fisher people. If using in a pond you can just throw the old tree or better yet trees in the water, if on a river or stream (really anything with moving water) you can tie the tree/trees to a large stone or even concrete block. The weight acts as an anchor and keeps the habitat in place, so you have an underwater landmark where fish will congregate. I have seen people tie as many as 6 trees together to make a large area. The submerged trees give small fish a place of refuge to grow. Wherever there is small fish there are larger predator fish. Those predator fish are normally the ones we want to fish for. Again there are really three ways that are common to use an old Christmas tree as a fish habitat: 1) In a pond. Just throw it in and let it float where it may, 2) Using rope and a large stone or concrete block, tie the rope to the middle of the tree/trees and make sure that the length of rope you use causes the tree to float kinda in the middle of the water "as illustrated above" and 3) Stick the trunk of the tree down in a concrete block and nail or screw a board into the trunk on the bottom of the block, this will keep the tree upright. Using the third method some people will actually make small underwater forests. 

2. Bird and Small Animal Feeding Station

This is a really cute idea and one of the most simple. After you have taken off all of your decorations, just move the tree stand and all outside. After the tree is set up outside redecorate with bird feeders and edibles for the wild creatures. One of the easiest ways to decorate is to take pine cones, smear with peanut butter and roll in birdseed. Voila, cute, outdoorsy, all natural, decorations for the birds.

3. Bonfire Fodder

You know, I said the fish habitat was probably the most common use...I was wrong. This one is without any doubt the most common use for old Christmas trees around here. Only one problem; people do not see it as a use, they see this as getting rid of the tree and nothing more. 

If an evergreen is allowed to completely dry, they burn is a spectacular fashion. Hot and fast would be the best way to describe it. Around here most of the teenage boys have bonfires as often as they can. It can and I think should be used as a social event. Don't forget, after the fire has gone out you can use the ashes as a soil amendment.

4. Small Animal Habitat

I know we have already used a tree as a feeding station, but now we are going to do something a little different with it. Even if you have a small yard you can take the old tree and place it in a corner of your yard. Just lay it down. Rabbits, chipmunks and things like that will really appreciate the extra hiding place. It is really amazing how much life can take place inside a brush pile. As the tree naturally breaks down this will become the habitation of worms and other beneficial insects, not to mention there will be less going to the landfill. As you can see these ideas are good for everyone. 

The first four have used the tree in its entirety. Now we are going to start "parting" it out.

5. Chicken Roost

This one is fairly simple and can be used in conjunction with several of the other ways to use your old tree. This is a way you can use just the trunk and still have all of the branches to use for other things. Remove all of the branches and either tie or nail the trunk into place so the chickens can use it as a roost. This is beneficial in another way. Many people have said that you should not use something that is perfectly round for your chicken's roost, because it is not natural. Well, the trunk of a tree, turned to be more like a large limb is more natural than many of the things you could use. 

6. Mulch

If you are not too rural there could be a location close

 to you that will shred your Christmas tree for you. 

I could probably expand this one heading into at least 3, but I won't. If I did so it would be just to have a larger number in the title. 

There are a couple of different ways that your old Christmas tree can be used as mulch. First you could just strip off all of the needles and use them as a mulch. Doing this will create a fine lighter mulch and will work great on most if not all plants. Second,you could take all of the branches and shred them. This will create a heavier, but in my opinion a more well rounded mulch. 

There is some debate as to whether evergreen needles cause the soil to become more acidic. Some people swear that it is the truth and others say it is an old wive's tale. I cannot tell you which is right, I am not a chemist. I will tell you that if I have a mulch that is primarily evergreen, I will only use that mulch on acid loving plants. Berries of most kinds fall into this category. 

Chippers have gone up a lot in the past couple of years, but this is one of the tools that I do think a homestead of any size really should have around. We purchased one used a couple of years ago and have used it more than enough times to merit the purchase. Check at local pawn shops or even yard sales. Who knows, maybe you will get lucky. We have a small electric one similar to this one Factory-Reconditioned Sun Joe CJ601E-RM Chipper Joe 14 Amp Wood Chipper/Shredder. 

7. Garden Bed Protection

Contemporary Landscape by Barrington Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Barbara Pintozzi

If you don't have a chipper or shredder and still want to use the Christmas tree in your garden there is still hope. If you have perennial or even raised garden beds you can just cut off all of the branches using either a set of pruning shears like these 50% OFF: ML Garden Tools Easy Cut Ratcheting Hand Pruners - 8" Ratchet Pruning Shears P8232  or a folding pruning saw like this one that I keep in my backpack Corona RS 7265 Razor Tooth Folding Pruning Saw, 10" Curved Blade. Once you have removed all of the branches place them all curved side up, so they are making sort of a little bitty tent. This will give your garden bed extra protection as we roll into what is normally the coldest part of our winter.

8. Compost

No matter what you do with your old live Christmas tree, it will eventually rot. Why not take advantage of this natural process? If you are concerned with soil pH you may not want to just shred your tree and place it straight on you garden beds. You can still use it as part of your compost pile. The cool thing about using a tree in your compost is there are lots of ways to do it. 

You could just leave the tree whole and pile things up around it. It will eventually break down and turn into really good soil. It will take a very long time, but hey there will be a lot less work involved. 

You could just cut off all of the branches and still use the trunk as the base of your compost pile. Mix in other leaves and kitchen scraps as well as herbivore manures so that no one type of substance dominates any area of the compost pile. This will create a smaller pile and will decompose quicker, but will still take some time. The trunk will still take a while, but not as long as the first example. The trunk will breakdown quicker because it will be in contact with all of the other goodies. In the first example the branches create a barrier to protect the trunk.

You could shred the branches and keep the trunk whole. This is what I have done in the past. I primarily did this because my shredder is small and I am not willing to rent a big one for one tree. Once again, I place the trunk on the bottom, mix the chips from the branches and needles with everything else I have and pile them on. I do like to leave one end of the trunk exposed. The reason I do this is so I can go out there and move the trunk around. I am allowing oxygen into the base of the pile. This causes decomposition to go even faster.

9. Animal Bedding

If you have a shredder you can use all of those chips as livestock bedding. Even if you don't, you can use the branches for bedding for larger animals, just add a little straw for comfort. The smell of the evergreen may even help keep insects out of the bedding area similar to cedar chips. Be aware some animals can have negative reactions to the fumes given off by evergreens especially cedars. Cedar should not be used with chickens.

10. Firewood

I add this one with hesitation. The reason I hesitate is because all evergreens are heavy sap trees. This sap is quite flammable. Unless wood is allowed to dry or season properly a substance called creosote can build up inside your flue. This can be very dangerous and may pose a fire hazard. If you are going to use evergreens as a firewood, either use for a camp or outside fire or make sure that it has properly dried. Having said that, it does make a good firewood, it burns hot and fast. Not what you would want in the heater to burn overnight, but could be what you are looking for if you want a quick fire to knock out the morning chill. If done safely, there is no reason the tree that warmed your heart during the holidays can warm your body or your food the following year.

11. Dune Restoration

If you live close to the beach this is a use that I have seen several times. Just place the tree on the beach and let the wind and rain do their thing. Over a fairly short period of time the sand will pile up around the tree and create a brand new sand dune. Done properly this can provide some protection from tide swells.

Home Decor Ideas

12. Potpourri

I know, I have put something that really most would consider a luxury as a homestead or functional use. I believe that the sense of smell can have a lot to do with your attitude and well being and besides, I love the smell of evergreens. I love that smell anytime of year, but especially during the winter months. You can strip the needles off a couple of branches and wrap in tulle (Expo Classic Tulle Spool of 25-Yard, White) to make a sachet and tie with a nice ribbon. You can now how some of these scattered throughout your home the give you a nice sent. Yup I used tulle. You may be able to purchase tulle from a local sewing or craft store.

13. Drink Coaster

I actually really like this little project, but I will give you a warning a little later. If you have children and nice furniture, you know what leaving a sweating glass on a nice wood table can do. One of the things about being as self sustainable as possible is make everything last as long as possible. Drink coasters help keep your tables looking nice. 

Just take the trunk and cut 1 inch thick disks. Apply a liberal coat of spar varnish to protect the coaster and felt pads on the bottom help too. It is best to let the trunk completely dry before you cut your coasters. If it is still green at all when it drys it is very likely to split like the one you see below. 

14. Candle Holder

This one is just thrown together, but if you take your time they can be made to look very nice. I like this one. 

Cut the trunk to any length you want, make sure that when you sit it up that the top is level. Depending on what type of candle you are wanting you can drill a hole to allow the candle to sit down into. I like the rustic or should I say rural look and it helps keep the wax from getting to your furniture. I know there are drip free candles, but I have never made a candle at home that was a drip free. 

15. A Centerpiece

Photo used with Permission from www.onceuponatimeinabedofwildflowers.com

The diameter of the trunk can be a determining factor of your centerpiece. Your centerpiece can be cut in half like the one pictured above or just the whole trunk, just make sure that it will sit consistently. You can use any type of candle. I have seen one that uses tea candles which is much more like what I would like to make. After you figure out which side will make the best bottom and make sure that the piece will be stable, take a 1 1/2 inch paddle bit and drill holes where ever you want the tea candles to sit. This will allow them to be slightly recessed and I think makes for a nicer appearance. 

16. Pine Needle Tea

Pine and spruce follow the exact same rules. Cedar tea has slightly different rules. Make sure that any tree you use for this has not been treated with any chemicals. I would not suggest doing this with any bought tree. Take the needles and steep for between 15 and 30 minutes. Pine needle tea has a very strong flavor, but is a vitamin C powerhouse. Cedar tea is also a vitamin C giant and is produced the same way as pine needle tea; however, cedar oil is a oily layer that floats to the top of the tea. Cedar oil is toxic and should be poured off of the tea. 

FYI spruce needles can be eaten raw in a survival situation. 

There you go. 16 ways to use your old Christmas. I hope you enjoyed this. Please feel free to send us a message. If you have ideas for things you would like us to cover let us know. theruraleconomist@gmail.com.

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address * 

First Name 

Last Name 

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there. 

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Visit The Rural Economist's profile on Pinterest.

Affiliate Link Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. Any time you use one of our links for Amazon, if you purchase something The Rural Economist receives a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more. Even if you do not purchase the items I list. In this way you will help support us trying to teach people about self reliance and homesteading. Thanks for your consideration.

Help Your Children Start Their Own Business

No matter who you are,  you know our current school system does not teach our children everything they need to know. It falls terribly short on real life lessons. If we as parents don't step up and help teach these lessons,  we are doing our children a disservice.

One of the lessons we should be teaching our children the value of work and creativity. How do you do that? Encourage them to start their own business. I am talking a real business in miniature, also called a micro-business. When you want your children to learn real lessons don't always let them sell something and keep all of the money. That is for younger children, but for older children it doesn't teach them the true nature of business. I have done it with my children and my parents did it with me. This did teach me that work produces rewards, but it did not teach me about all of the other things involved with business.

Even taking business classes doesn't give anyone the knowledge and wisdom that real world experience can. I believe my college degree just proved I was willing to do what was necessary to get through. There is nothing I learned in school that I couldn't have learned in life.

What things do running your own business teach you? Hang on we are going to cover quite a bit.

Expenses Come Off the Top

Like I said above I remember selling things when I was a kid and keeping all of the money. It wasn't til much later that I realized the materials I used to make things cost money. Money my parents spent. Of course most of my projects were made from recycled materials and still are, but some portion is new.

We found an idea for a business for our kids. Both are artists. They have different styles, but both are very good. They are going to start making wall art.

I make the canvases and get them ready for them to work their magic. They come up with designs and then have to assemble the supplies they need to make their design. As soon as the first one sells they have to pay back what was spent on supplies. Anything over that is profit.

Advertising

You cannot expect people to buy something they do not know exists. You have to let people know. Today this is a lot easier than when I was a kid. I mowed yards for extra money. I remember going to people and asking if they needed someone to mow their yard. Today we have the internet. You can let thousands of people know about a product just by writing.

There are also craft shows. A craft show teaches then to make a lot and have a delayed return. There is also the expense of booth rental. All of this is paid before a sale takes place.

Production

You cannot expect people to buy a product they have not seen. I let them know there is a custom made market put there, but until they establish themselves and have a solid portfolio of products they have made they cannot expect people to order things unseen.

Also since they have shown an interest in craft shows they will have to produce enough to fill a booth. I have never seen a crafter's booth with only two items. You have to have enough items to make a good showing.

Pricing

Just because you think your work is priceless doesn't mean everyone else does. If the world based prices on me not much would cost what it does today. My children can set any price they want, but if people won't pay what they are asking they will make no money.

The reverse of this is also true. You can price your items too low. People may buy what you have like crazy, but if you have not included a high enough profit margin you will not be in business for long.

Sales and Customer Service

I am willing to help my children all I can, but I am not going to do it for them. At least not without price. If my children want to keep more of the profits they have to do the sales. If they want me to sell for them I should get a commission. This is just the way life works. My daughter is quite shy, but she will learn at the very least cordial communication.

Investment

Just because you have repaid your initial start up costs does not mean you get to spend all of the profits. You must take part of the money you make from each sale and apply it to supplies for future projects.

Just having stated this outright to my children made them look at business differently. People do not get to keep all the money they make.

Hard work can and should pay off. There are tons of lessons to be learned by your children starting their own business. Who knows, maybe you could learn some things too.

The best thing about your children starting their own business is they learn to relay on themselves. That alone helps them have a brighter future.

Maybe a family business could help you achieve your Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

If you would like to purchase some of my daughter's artwork please contact me at theruraleconomist@gmail.com

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address * 

First Name 

Last Name 

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. Or you can even follow The Rural Economist on Pintrest. We now have a YouTube channel and are doing a series on wild edible and medicinal plants. Hope on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe.

Make it at Home Gifts #1 (suitable for children)

This year my wife said that I shouldn't spend any money for Mother's Day. I agreed but could not let her celebrate the occasion without some type of gift to show how much I appreciate her. So what do I do? I got to the work shop.

I know it is too late to use these ideas for this year's Mother's Day, but I couldn't post them ahead of time or she would have known what I was doing. These ideas can be used as gifts for any occasion or just to show you care for someone. In all I am going to cover three projects. I will assign difficulty levels, list materials needed, cover costs and offer step by step instructions. I hope you enjoy these posts. I will make sure they are all linked.

All of these projects were made from reclaimed pallets. Despite what many people say on Pinterest I very rarely find pallets for free, but I can consistently buy pallets any where from 25¢ to $2.00 depending on size and shape of the pallet.

Also please also realize that difficulty levels I assign are based on use of hand tools only. I do not have a table saw or router or anything like that. Difficulty level will probably go down with more advanced tools. 

Project: Photo Zigzag Displayer

Difficulty Level: Beginner (if an adult cuts the pieces this is an excellent project for children)

Cost: $3.00 to $12.00 dependent on if you have any of the materials on hand before beginning.

Actual cost: Maybe $1.00 (you will have enough supplies leftover to do another project.)

Take a 6 inch wide board, normally the outside crossboards in a pallet and cut 3, 7 inch pieces. 

Sand each individual piece.

Nail the pieces together at right angles creating a zigzag pattern. Then paint. You can use any color you want, I chose black. Lowe's has a can of gloss black paint for $0.99 from Project Source. Small box of nails less than $2.00, you will only have to use 12 nails. There will be a lot left over for other projects.

Select the pictures you want to use. Remember if you use actual photos you will not be able to get them off later. I printed our photos from the computer. A good quality photo paper with a matte finish will work best. Allow your photos to completely dry before you continue.

Cut your photos to size and glue a photo to each section. I used wood glue because that is what I had on hand. Any white school glue will do nicely. Allow to dry completely. A small bottle of glue can be bought at the Dollar Store for, you guessed it $1.00.

After the glue has completely dried spray with high gloss varnish or lacquer. When it dries you are done. A spray can of gloss lacquer costs anywhere from $3.00 to $9.00 depending on name brand.

That is it.

I hope you enjoy these projects and I wish you...

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

You can subscribe to The Rural Economist by email by simply filling out the form at the top right of the page. Your information will never be sold or given to anyone else. You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. Or you can even follow The Rural Economist on Pintrest. If you do the Facebook thing I have a poll going on right now and I would really love to have your input.

Just a Little Crafty and A Crafting Fail

I am not what most people would call artsy. With me function is king. When my wife told me she really wanted a bedside table I said, "We have those old potato crates that can be stacked and make a real nice bedside table". I thought it would look nice, but that was not the look she was hoping for. She still doesn't have that table, it was not that high on the priorities list.

If I were to try to define my style, I would call it Rustic Chic. Before today I didn't even know that was a term and I still believe it was only coined so folks like me could feel like we are at least a little in style with something. In fact the term is being debated as to whether it is a complement to rural/country people or an insult. Let's see, city people buying things to decorate their homes or offices to look like what they think country peoples homes used to look like. Hum, I don't care. Some people just want to be offended. I wouldn't care if they called it Rural Chic. Hey I may have coined a new term.

It is the holiday season and we are rapidly coming up on Christmas. Fresh cut Christmas trees have arrived by the thousands at local home improvement, department stores, and even vacant lots. Before these beautiful trees go to homes and are decorated for the season the bottom branches are removed and part of the lower stump is cut off and discarded. That is where the gears should start turning in our heads.

As you can see in the picture above I took some of the limbs that were trimmed and decorated the hearth. We had the artificial poinsettia blooms and the painted pine cones already. Total cost of this decoration zero dollars.

On To The Trunk

From the trunk I decided to make drink coasters. I am not sure where I got the idea, but a friend of mine and myself both decided to do the same thing. He was lucky enough to work the Christmas trees on Black Friday, so he was able to use the electric chainsaw and cut pieces to the right thickness from the very beginning. I wasn't so lucky so I took all of the larger pieces I could find. I have found that larger pieces are easier to work with and you can get more coasters out of each piece.

This would be really easy if I had a band saw, but I don't so I am using the fold-able pruning saw that I keep in the truck with me. The most challenging parts are trying to keep a consistent thickness between the pieces (or at least close enough) and keeping each piece the same thickness all the way across. Some variation is acceptable and adds character to the coaster, but I do not want the glass to look like it is leaning. I had to throw a couple away due to uneven thickness.

There you go. Just a little sanding and a coat or two of spar varnish and these coaster will last for years. Great for the home, great as gifts and if you don't varnish them they only cost you some time and sweat. By the way you cannot find coaster like this on Amazon, at least I have not been able to and on eBay a set of 4 runs from $10.00 to $20.00 a set.

The coaster pictured above is large enough to be a pot holder as well.

A word if warning if the 12 coasters I cut 9 cracked. I don't know if this is unique to Douglas Fir. I have never had wood crack this bad before.

Don't forget you can like The Rural Economist on Facebook, join our email list by filling out the form to the top right of this page, and/or join this site by clicking the button to the right.

May you have Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes.

For instructions on making a homemade wreath you can go here. You can always scale it down to fit your need.

http://learningandyearning.com/2010/12/11/evergreen-christmas-wreath/