Nobody wants to wake up Christmas morning to a brown Christmas tree. In order to keep your Christmas tree fresher for longer, follow these steps.
photo courtesy of Frank Heinz flickr.com/photos/heinz5700/8282217700/Buy Fresh
In order to keep your Christmas tree fresh, purchase a tree that is recently cut.
You can cut your own Christmas tree to ensure freshness.
If cutting your own tree is not an option, you should research your Christmas tree supplier before purchasing.
Ask the store or Christmas tree lot attendant when they expect to get their next shipment and purchase a tree from the latest shipment.
Once you have a tree selected, stand it up and drop it on its trunk from about 4 inches off the ground.
There should be very few needles that fall off. Inspect it for brown spots.
Ensure that the needles are not dried out.
Have your Christmas tree shaken before bringing it home to get rid of bugs and such that may be inside the tree.
A Fresh Cut
When you get your Christmas tree home, you should cut off 1 inch of the bottom of the trunk to allow it to take up water.
Do not make a V cut or a diagonal cut - just a straight cut perpendicular to the trunk.
After cutting your Christmas tree, put it in water immediately.
Use plain water without any additives that is cool or warm but not hot.
Do not trim the outer bark of your Christmas tree in order to fit it in the stand since most of the water absorption happens in the outer rings of the tree.
Water Every Day
A Christmas tree can drink up to 1 gallon of water in the first 24 hours.
Check the water level in your Christmas tree stand every day, but twice a day on the first day.
The general rule is that you should have at least 1 quart of water per diameter inch of the tree trunk.
Keep Away From Heat
Heat sources dry out your Christmas tree.
Keep your tree away from your fireplace, radiator, or heater.
Keep it in a cool part of your home.
