Bringing a fresh, fragrant Christmas tree into your home instantly fills it with festive cheer; to keep your cut tree looking lush and beautiful throughout the season, a little care goes a long way.
Here’s your guide to keeping your Christmas tree happy and healthy until New Year’s.
Choosing your Christmas Tree
First of all, decide which type of tree you want, Spruce are more traditional but do drop their needles more than the Nordman Fir which is growing in popularity. Also decide which size tree, both tall and round, plus what shape. If you want the more iconic pyramid shape then it’s again a spruce, with Nordman’s tending to be much denser and giving you more tree for your money. Consider how your decorations and lights are going to hang, think about how much gap you need between branches, how big are your baubles?
Once you’ve decided what you need, then look for a tree with vibrant green needles that are flexible, not brittle. Give the branches a gentle shake, if lots of needles fall off, it may be past its prime, fresh trees retain needles longer and absorb water more effectively. Give the tree a light bounce, a few needles dropping is fine, but if you see a shower of them with just a small shake, it’s best to pick another tree.
Another way to check whether your tree is fresh and healthy is to gently crush some needles between your fingers. A strong, pleasant fragrance indicates the tree is in good condition but bear in mind that some trees are more fragrant than others.
Remember that the trees are natural, they will all have a great side and a not so great side depending on where they grew in relation to sunlight, give the tree a good twirl and make sure you are happy with what you see as you’re going to be looking at it for another month or so.
Our team are always here to help, whether its just putting it through the netting machine ready for its journey home, or having 3 or 4 lined up and giving them all a good twirl so you can choose your favourite.
Make a Fresh Cut
If you’re not putting your tree up inside right away, you can leave your tree in the garden but you need to do a little prep work either way.
Once you get your tree home, saw just over a centimetre (or half an inch) off the bottom of the trunk to get rid of any hardened sap and open up the tree’s pores (we can do this for you when you buy it but its only worth it if you are going to get the tree into its stand or a bucket of water if your leaving it in your garden, within about 30 minutes otherwise the cut will start to seal over).
Trimming the bottom will allow the tree to start absorbing water up through the trunk just like cut flowers, this is really important and is the most important factor in keeping the tree looking great and reducing the amount of needles that drop.
Use Plenty of Water
A Christmas tree can drink a surprising amount of water, up to a gallon per day in the first week! Make sure the tree stand has enough capacity to hold sufficient water and check the water level daily. Never let the base go dry, or the tree will start dropping needles.
Keep It Cool
Avoid placing your tree near heat sources like radiators, fireplaces, or direct sunlight. Excessive heat dries out the tree faster, causing needles to brown and fall prematurely. Watering the tree daily will help combat it drying out but its best to try and avoid warm areas if you can. A cooler location slows this process and helps your tree stay fresh longer.
Keep Your Tree Away from Drafts
Doors and windows can create drafts that dry out your tree. Try to place your tree in a spot where temperature fluctuations are minimal. A stable environment helps preserve moisture and prevents premature needle drop.
Mind Your Lights
To decorate your tree, use low-heat LED lights instead of older incandescent bulbs, not only do LEDs reduce the risk of drying out the tree or starting a fire, but they also last longer, keeping your tree beautifully lit throughout the season.
We have a beautiful selection of fairy lights, for information about how to save energy and money on LED plugin lights, see our chart here for more details.
Decorate the Tree
No Christmas tree is complete without a little sparkle; we have a great selection of tree decorations in the Brightwell Building. For an additional festive touch why not try some festive scent sticks, simply hang them on the Christmas tree for comforting notes of pine, cedar, or spiced orange, enhancing the natural aroma of the evergreen branches.
Dispose Responsibly
Once the festive season is over, don’t just toss your tree in the bin! You can bring it here so that it can be collected and recycled by the South Oxfordshire council. We can take any used real Christmas trees from 2nd Jan up until the 10th Jan.
Please note: We will not accept any Christmas trees after the 10th Jan.
If your tree is more than 6 feet in height, it needs to be cut in half prior to drop-off.
You could also consider composting the tree by cutting it up into smaller branch sections, placing onto your compost heap or just stacking them in a quiet corner to rot down within a year or so. For the main trunk, chop it into shorter sections around a foot long, then stack them in the corner of your garden to encourage insect and wildlife as they slowly rot down, eventually improving the soil.