The gifts have been opened (some may already have been returned or exchanged), cookies left for Santa are long gone and it will soon be time to begin the process of removing holiday decorations. It’s not too early to begin thinking about how you will recycle or dispose of holiday plants and plant materials such as poinsettias, Christmas cacti, wreaths, pine ropingand, of course, cut live Christmas trees.
Everyone maintains a different schedule for removing holiday decorations from their home. My neighbor’s live tree is placed at the curb by the end of the day on Christmas, but we typically wait until the Epiphany on Jan.6 to begin the process.Whenever you choose to remove your decorations, be sure to consider recycling and repurposing holiday plants and plant materials.
Cut trees
Several options exist for consumers to recycle or reuse cut trees.Most communities collect used trees after the holidays and chip the trees to produce mulch for gardeners. Columbus residents can place trees at the curb for collection during their regular yard-waste pickup. Trees taller than six feet should be cut in half and trees should not be placed in recycling containers. Trees should not be in plastic bags, and all decorations need to be removed.
Christmas trees also can be repurposed in your own yard or on your property for birds, small wildlifeand even fish.Trees make excellent habitat for small fish in ponds and lakes and should be secured with rope to two cinder blocks when being placed into the water.
One option is simply to place the tree in the garden or yard and use it as a winter bird-feeding station and sanctuary.Suet, bird feedersand even strings of popcorn, cranberriesor orange slices attached to the treewill attract birds, and they will use the tree for shelter.Consider placing the tree within sight of a window in the home to enjoy the colorful sight of these visitors.
Trees can also be cut into smaller pieces for use as mulch or added to compost piles at home.
Holiday plants
Plants such as poinsettia, Christmas cactus and amaryllis can be maintained for use again next holiday season, if you have the desire to keep them.After its flower drops, allow amaryllis plants to continue producing green leaves as this foliage growth will add energy reserves to the bulb for flowering next season.Amaryllis plants will need a rest period of several months in a cool, dark area in order to bloom again next December.
To keep a poinsettia plant, simply continue providing water, lots of light, and some fertilizer through the winter and spring.Then prune the plant to approximately 6 or 8 inches in early summer. To bring out the full color of the plant next season, it will need 12 hours of complete darkness each night for two months. A large cardboard box can be placed over the plant each evening to accomplish this.
Keep Christmas cacti in locations with bright filtered light and provide 12 hours of darkness each day for about six weeks before desired blooming next season.
Wreaths, roping and holly boughs
Wreaths made from live evergreens, holly boughs and pine roping can be used as mulch or added to compost piles.Use hand pruners to cut branches and boughs into smaller pieces and add to compost piles or use as an insulating mulch on perennial beds. Be sure to unwind and discard the wire from pine roping before cutting the pine into small pieces.
Recycling and repurposing live holiday plants and plant materials can extend the useful life of natural resources and benefit wildlife as well as the environment.
Mike Hogan isan associate professor at Ohio StateUniversity and extension educator at the OSU Extension.
hogan.1@osu.edu
