How to Care for Your Christmas Tree
Date: December
When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of its weight is water. With proper care, you can maintain the quality of your displayed trees. Below are a number of tips relating to the care of displayed trees:
Choosing a Tree at our Lot:
We take care to schedule our trucks from Oregon right after the trees are cut so that when they arrive here, they are as fresh as possible. Many trees at the box store are cut weeks before they arrive at the store to save money. When you are choosing your tree, dead and brown needles are common and do not necessarily mean your tree is not fresh. A good test is to take a branch in hand, and with a firm grip, run your hand down the branch. If little to no needles come off the branch, then your tree is fresh!
Aside from choosing a fresh tree, using a water stand is very important for keeping your tree from drying out. Before we put on our water stands, we always give your tree a fresh cut on the bottom and score the sides of the trunk to help it take up as much water as possible. Our rebar water stands are only for medium sized trees. The best part is we will cut and install your stand for free for life! Just bring it back every year and we will put it on for free
Getting Your Tree Home:
Do not stand your tree up in your car or truck! The best way to take it home is to lay it down with the trunk of the tree toward the front of the vehicle. This way, when the wind goes over your tree, the branches will be able to gently fold down without breaking. For flocked trees, make sure to cover with plastic so all the flocking does not blow off in the wind.
Care for Your Tree at Home:
Once home, put water in your water bowl as soon as possible. Try to leave your tree outside in the cold weather until you are ready to decorate it. Once your tree is inside the house, be sure to display your Christmas Tree away from any heat source (fireplace, heaters, heat vents, direct sunlight). It is also a good idea to lower the temperature inside the house 10 degrees. The cooler you can keep your Christmas tree, the less water will evaporate out of the needles and the longer it will take for the tree to dry out.
Be sure to check the water level in your water stand frequently. If your tree is left dry for 6-8 hours, the pores on the trunk will close up and your tree will not be able to absorb any more water. If you keep watering your tree and turn the temperature down in your home a bit, your Christmas tree will stay as fresh as possible!
Merry Christmas!!!
from White Forest Nursery
