How to Maintain a Live Christmas Tree

12th December 2019

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With Christmas right around the corner, everyone is getting their Christmas trees ready. If you want to have a live Christmas tree, there are certain things you need to know to make sure the tree looks nice through the holidays.

When it comes to having a Christmas tree, a live tree has always been my favourite. The fresh pine smell goes hand in hand with Christmas. While there is nothing wrong with using an artificial tree, and it has its places, I think everyone should have a live tree at least once. And once is all it takes for you to be hooked. Some people stay away from living trees because they think it is too hard to maintain. It doesn’t have to be. 

Cut tree or live tree?

First, decide if you want to use a cut tree or if you want to have a tree with the root ball. The trees with a root ball are great if you want to plant the tree in your yard to grow. If you do not want to plant the tree, you want a cut tree. 

After you have picked out the perfect tree and brought it home, the first thing you want to do is to make a fresh cut on the trunk of the tree. You know how when you add fresh flowers to a vase, you trim the stems, it is the same idea. This gives the tree a place to suck up the water better. 

Place the tree away from a heat source

You do not want the tree to be near a fireplace, heater or anything else that is used for heating. This will dry the tree out and make it die faster. Once it dries the tree out, it will start to lose its water, drop its needles and can be a fire hazard.

Water the tree

You want to make sure that the tree is water right away. Fill the base of your tree holder. You want to put about a gallon of water in the tree stand holder. You might need a larger tree stand if it can not hold about a gallon of water. 

Decorating

Now is the fun part of decorating your Christmas tree. You get to decorate your tree just like you would an artificial one.  You can use lights and all of your favourite ornaments. You can even make a popcorn garland to place on the tree. 

Check the water level every day

It is vital that the tree has water. This keeps it from drying out and makes sure that the tree will last until Christmas. Do not add any enhancements or anything to the water. Just plain warm water is perfect. Do not allow the water level to drop down below the trunk where you made your cut. If you do, the trunk will callous over and the tree can not drink. Christmas trees are known to be very thirsty. The first day, it is not uncommon for the tree to soak up about 2 gallons of water. Make sure to keep the water levels high to keep your tree happy, healthy and looking great through Christmas day.

And before you know it you will have a beautiful Christmas tree ready to twinkle and shine throughout the festive season.

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