How to take care of a Christmas tree so that it stands for a long time and does not drop its needles?
The Christmas tree is the undisputed symbol and the most beautiful Christmas decoration. Especially alive. With it in the house there is a wonderful smell of pine. Unfortunately, an untreated cut Christmas tree suddenly loses its original appearance. The branches bend under the weight of the ornaments and the needles fall en masse to the ground.
What can I do to make sure that the tree lasts longer and the needles don’t fall off?
Rule 1: Choose your tree wisely, not randomly.
What to pay attention to when buying a Christmas tree? First of all on its species. Knowing it, you will also learn about the properties of the tree – durability, resistance to changing conditions. So you will understand what to expect from it.
For example: European spruce. In Poland, it is most often chosen as a tree for the Christmas tree, it is not very durable. If you bring it home, it will lose its needles within a few weeks. A silver or prickly spruce is a much more expensive but more durable investment. A fir is a better choice. This species is resistant to harsh climatic conditions, so it is easy to care for. Fir impresses for many weeks with its impeccable appearance.
However, the choice of tree species does not determine the purchase. A good Christmas tree is a fresh Christmas tree. So evaluate individual specimens with indicators:
What happens to them when they are bent slightly – do they fall permanently or return to their natural shape?
Do they have the color characteristic of the wood species?
Are they stiff and strong, or can they fall off the branches at the slightest touch?
Rule 2: Harden your Christmas tree before you bring it home
After you bring your cut Christmas tree home, leave it in a cool room (garage, basement) for about a week. During this time, the tree will get used to its new environment and you will have time to prepare it for transplanting it into a pot.
Shorten the trunk by about 3 to 4 cm at the bottom and place the tree in a container with warm water. This is not a mistake! Putting the Christmas tree in warm water will increase its absorbency. This will make it even more beautiful.
Before you put the Christmas tree in one of the rooms, take it out of the bucket where it has been for the last few days and move it. For the last time, put it in the last container.
This can be a stand equipped with a container for water, or a flower pot. A potted Christmas tree looks beautiful as long as it is stable. To make the Christmas tree stand upright, cover the trunk with a layer of stones. These, in turn, are covered with moist soil.
Rule 3: Keep your Christmas tree in the right conditions
A suitable place for a Christmas tree is a room where the temperature does not exceed 20 degrees Celsius. In other words: away from heat sources such as radiators, stoves, and fireplaces.
Rule 4: Water the tree regularly
Why does a Christmas tree wither? Mostly due to a lack of water and macro and micronutrients. Regardless of the species, all Christmas trees should be watered regularly.
How do I check if my Christmas tree is sufficiently hydrated? With a cut Christmas tree, all you need to do is check to see if water has gotten under the running line. Touch the soil next to the Christmas tree in the pan. If anything is wet, it’s okay.
It’s also worth watering the tree every day and adding a special green plant nutrient to the water once a week. You can find it at any gardening business. Due to the richness of nutrients, the preparation prolongs the life of the Christmas tree.
A home remedy to slow down the needles is to water the Christmas tree with sugar water. It is enough to dissolve two tablespoons of sugar in one liter of water to preserve the natural fertilizer, thanks to which the Christmas tree retains its charm longer. The same results are achieved by watering Christmas trees with salt water (in the same proportions as with a mixture of water and sugar).
Rule 5: Depending on the thickness of the branches, choose the number and size of Christmas decorations.
Determine the strength of your Christmas tree with your intentions in mind. Remember that sensitive shoots break under the weight of tightly hung ornaments. Consider the sensitivity of Christmas trees to high temperatures by the type of decorative lighting. LEDs are much better than standard LEDs, which produce too much heat.
Can I plant a Christmas tree in a pot in the garden?
Christmas, Christmas … What to do with a Christmas tree after Christmas? It’s a good idea to put it in the garden next to leftover ornamental trees.
If no buds are visible at the ends of the branches, the tree should be outside for two weeks – from the day you brought it home. Then the root ball should be wrapped tightly. You can use agro fabric or bubble wrap for this. Secured in this way the Christmas tree is sure to live until spring.
What to do if there are buds on the branches? The tree should be returned to the room where it was hardened before it was brought home. After about a month (2-4 weeks) it can be moved to the garden.
A beautiful Christmas tree is not just for Christmas! If you know the basic rules for taking care of your Christmas tree, you can enjoy it long after Christmas.
What to do to make a live Christmas tree (pine, fir) stand as long as possible?
It turns out that most Christmas trees can please us for at least five weeks if properly cared for.
Every year, thousands of families buy a live Christmas tree at Christmas markets. While there is debate about whether real or artificial Christmas trees are better, those who choose the authentic kind can spend a lot of money to decorate their rooms for the new year with a live tree. But nothing damps the holiday spirit quite like a dry, brittle tree that has lost its scent. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to keep spruces (pines, firs) alive as long as possible.
First, you need to put the tree in water as soon as possible. If you keep the base of the spruce moist, the tree stays fresh for a month or more.
As a rule of thumb, a normal tree absorbs about 1 liter of water per 3 cm diameter of its fruit. It is recommended to put the tree in a bucket of water and add fresh water every day.
Some people use special purchased water additives that keep the spruce as fresh as possible for as long as possible. However, you can make it easier: Add an aspirin tablet and a tablespoon of sugar to the water as an extra source of nutrition for the tree. However, none of this is necessary at all. Many experts say that adding substances to water is not good for the tree. Pure water still works best.
So it’s simple: you add water (you can calculate the volume of the bucket relative to the diameter of your Christmas tree’s shoulder) and watch the level you constantly pour! But if you run your Christmas tree for just a few days (walk around without water) – it can dry out.
How to choose the best Christmas tree and what to do with it afterwards?
1. Choose a healthy green Christmas tree.
Run your hands along several branches: the needles should be resilient and not fall off. Lift the tree by hitting it lightly against the floor. Only a few needles should fall out of the greenery. Losing brown, dried dried needles for a Christmas tree is quite normal (as long as there aren’t too many).
Choose a tree that is in a shady spot, not a sunny spot in the bazaar.
2. prune the shoots.
When you get home with the Christmas tree, cut about 3 cm off the end of the shoot. If you don’t use it right away, put the tree in a bucket of slightly warm water. This will get rid of the dried resin, which can block the tree from absorbing water.
Until the vacation it is better to keep the tree in an unheated garage, on a balcony, in an area protected from wind and strong frosts (the temperature should be just above freezing so that the water in which the tree is, does not freeze). If you bring the tree into the house, cut off another 3 cm from the trunk and place it on a sturdy stand with water in it. Fill the stand with one liter of water for every 2.5-3 cm of trunk diameter.
3. Stay away from heat sources
There’s nothing better than a beautifully trimmed Christmas tree next to a fireplace – but along with radiators, air ducts, and furnaces, a fireplace can help your Christmas tree dry out much faster.
If your home is dry, it’s best to install a humidifier.
4. Make sure the water level is above the base of the shoot.
Too little water leads to resin buildup. Once this happens, the tree stops absorbing water and dries out quickly.
Sometimes they talk about adding bleach, aspirin and sugar to the water, but additives are not necessary. The right amount of plain water is enough to keep the wood fresh.
5. Clean the tree until it is dry.
If you wait too long, you will get a lot of dead pine needles that will cover your floor. The easiest way to remove fallen needles is to vacuum without attachments, just the end of the hose.
After the vacation, you can start with new compost from a used Christmas tree (if you live out of town and brought a spruce to your property) or recycle and turn the branches themselves AND trim the trunk into mulch. If you live in the city, find out what recycling options are available for an eco-friendly option to get rid of your Christmas tree.
