To keep your tree fresher for longer after purchase
Everyone who wants to buy a real live Christmas tree for the new year, thought about how long the tree will last at home and how many days before the holidays to buy it?
The answer is that trees, firs and pines have different lives, but none of them can stay at home longer than two weeks.
Russian and Norwegian Christmas trees begin to fall off after about 5-7 days, pine trees are a few days longer, not falling off, but gradually dry up and change color of the needles, it becomes paler. More information about the properties of Christmas trees can be found in our article “Types of Christmas trees”.
Of course, this applies to trees that are already unpacked and installed in a warm room. However, you can buy fichtes well before New Year’s Eve and keep them fresh for the vacations for up to a month or more. We’ll tell you how to do it.
Christmas tree in the interior
How to keep your Christmas tree fresh until installation
The first thing you need to do is choose the Christmas tree you want, already dressed up and beautiful. We recommend installing Danish spruce, Fraser fir, Canadian jaw fir 5-7 days in advance, and Russian and Norwegian Christmas trees 3-5 days in advance.
Until then, it is better to keep the Christmas tree in a cool place at a temperature no higher than 5-10 degrees Celsius, with minimal light and preferably with high humidity.
The key to success is to reduce the amount of moisture that evaporates from the plant. A garage or unheated balcony is ideal for this. In our experience, there was a case where a Christmas tree remained green and fresh six months after purchase. And one of our employees installed a Christmas tree for March 8 as an unusual gift for her loved ones.
By the way, live Fraser firs come from North America to Russia, from where they are transported across the ocean in refrigerators for 45 days in minimal light and 100% humidity.
This does not affect the quality in any way, as the Fraser fir is considered the highest quality fir tree to buy in our country for the New Year: it is very long, does not fall off at all, and the branches are so strong that they can withstand very heavy toys and real candlesticks.
Christmas tree seedlings
Installing the Christmas tree
The cut Christmas tree begins to dry only when the heat begins the process of “drying”, the evaporation of moisture from the needles. Therefore, after installing the Christmas tree it is necessary to regularly provide its trunk and cool, moist air.
The place for the Christmas tree is better to choose away from open fire, electric heaters, radiators and other heat sources. It is very good if the room is periodically aired to reduce the temperature, and the air is humidified regularly.
After unpacking the Christmas tree should be shaken of dry needles. It should not repel some of these needles, it is quite normal, as the spruce branches rub against each other during transportation and packaging. The total mass remains green.
Separately, it is worth noting that in severe frosts outside, below 15 degrees, the needles and twigs become very fragile and easily damaged. In such weather we do not recommend disturbing live spruce branches as soon as you bring them home. It is better to leave them to gradually adapt the tree to room temperature and only then unwrap them.
Nursery
Water flow to the trunk
The next step is to ensure a regular flow of water to the trunk. To make the tree absorb the water better, the trunk is shortened by 2-3 cm from the cut, or cuts are made with a knife to get a fresh cut and a larger surface area to absorb the moisture.
When you deliver a Christmas tree from our online store, this is done on a mandatory basis, and at our Christmas tree bazaars – at the request of the buyer. If you do it yourself, try not to cut the trunk at an angle, as such a tree is difficult to root, and also do not accidentally cut the bark above the water level – this significantly reduces the moisture absorption.
You can use special Christmas tree stands with water tanks. They hold the tree securely and quickly in position, and you can simply refill the water while it evaporates. We also recommend using hydrogel, a special agent to retain moisture.
Christmas trees on stands
Taking care of your Christmas tree after installation
All trees crumble differently. Russian and Canadian pines stand a little longer, their needles can dry out, but if they do not disturb, they will not shatter much, especially the Canadian pine. And, for example, Danish spruce (Nordmann fir) and Fraser fir do not lose their needles at all, they dry right on the branches and only change their color slightly. You can take them outside after the holidays and lose maybe 10 percent of the needles.
Spruce needles.
Potted Christmas trees.
There is an option to completely do without dropping needles – is to buy a potted spruce. The price of such a Christmas tree will be higher than a cut down tree, but it will not give you problems with cleaning. This beautiful, well-wintering, world-famous ornamental plant can be planted in the garden or in the cottage in the spring. See also All About Spruces in a Container.
The higher the temperature indoors, the faster your cut spruce will begin to crumble. At 10 degrees above zero, a Christmas tree stands for a long time, up to a month. But it’s pretty hot in our apartments in winter, and every 5 degree increase in temperature shortens the life span of a Christmas tree by 1 day. This means that if your house is 28-30 degrees, then with all tricks the tree will only last a few days. We advise you to ventilate the room where your tree stands regularly to reduce the air temperature at least a few degrees. Also do not forget that electric heaters are very air-drying, so it is better not to use them where there is a live tree.
Spray the branches as often as possible with a sprayer, but only after you have made sure that the electric lights are switched off!
There are also special preparations for prolonging the life of Christmas trees – in the form of water-soluble tablets (1 tablet per 2 liters of water) or liquid fertilizer (2 capsules of the drug per 1.5 liters of water). We will not say that it is a panacea against overfilling, such preparations extend the life of cut spruces only for 2-5 days, but this is usually enough to meet the New Year holidays and spend the weekend comfortably, without thinking about urgent cleaning.
Christmas trees in pots
What to do with the Christmas tree after the holidays?
For simplicity, you can buy a special box for the disposal of Christmas trees. You can put the tree on it not to scratch the floor in the apartment, it is suitable as a decorative element that covers the stand, you can hide particularly valuable gifts in it, and after the holidays they can wrap the tree and take it outside without scattering dry needles.
A live Christmas tree is a real joy for the whole family. And after the holidays, you can throw it away without a second thought. The tree is one of the most environmentally friendly materials, when disposing of it does not harm the nature as plastic bags or artificial Christmas trees.
If you do not want to worry about what to do with the tree after the year is over, or the question “Who throws away the tree?” is very popular in your family. Then you can order a special service from us – the removal and disposal of Christmas trees, our staff will save you from this hassle and you can continue to relax.
Wrapped Christmas Trees
How to take care of a Christmas tree
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If you’ve decided to decorate your home with a live Christmas tree, there are several ways to keep it green, healthy and safe through the holidays. If you love the distinctive aroma of the evergreen tree, here’s how you can take care of its source.
Choose a healthy tree. If possible, buy your Christmas tree from a Christmas tree farm, where you can choose a tree that is still growing. A tree that has just been cut down will last longer than one that was cut down a few weeks ago.
- Here’s another trick: Raise your Christmas tree a few inches and lower it onto the log. If the outer green needles fall off, you shouldn’t buy that tree.
- If you are using garland, place the Christmas tree closer to the socket. If that’s not possible, you’ll need an extension cord. If you’re using an extension cord, make sure it’s near the wall so you can’t trip over it.
- If you have a “rock” that you string over the trunk of the tree, you can still put the tree in a stand and then wrap the cloth around it. This means that not only will your tree look better, but your pets won’t be able to drink water from the stand.
- Please note: It is not recommended to cut the tree at an angle, drill into a V shape, or make a hole in the trunk. Neither of these methods will help absorb water and may also make it difficult to support the tree.
- Note: Make sure the tree is well supported. Don’t cut the bark off the tree just because it’s better against the trunk-the outer layer of the tree absorbs most of the water.
Make sure the tree is accurate. It will be good to have at least two people set it up while one holds it upright and the other decides on the base. Always go back and check before you do the decorating. It is clear that things are much easier to repair at this point.
- Check each garland for unblown bulbs.
- Check the wires to make sure. That they are not exposed to pets or bitten, and that all plugs are serviceable.
- Remove any jewelry that looks suspicious and replace it. It’s not that expensive to buy new jewelry.
- Place small and fragile items so small children can’t reach them to prevent accidents.
- Some add aspirin to the water to make the tree stand longer. Others add Sprite™ or similar carbonated drinks to feed the tree. Be careful, though; if you accidentally knock the bucket over, you’re in for a sticky new year!
Check your Christmas tree for sap. It’s a good idea to check your Christmas tree from time to time for any sap your tree is leaking onto nearby furniture or flooring. The sooner you detect the leak, the easier it will be to fix.
