Advice on caring for your fresh Christmas tree

Our Plant Manager Andrew Pitman has lots of advice for anyone with a fresh Christmas tree this Yuletide.

Andrew’s tips for caring for a cut Christmas tree include:

• When you get your tree, store it in cool conditions away from the wind and sunlight.
• Put the base of the tree in a bucket of water to prevent dehydration.
• When you are ready to put your tree up you should cut 25-50 millimetres (one to two inches) from the base of the tree before putting it in a stand that has watering holding facilities. By doing this you will have broken the natural seal on the base of the trunk and the tree will be able to take up as much water as it requires.
• Before bringing your tree inside hold the tree up-right and bang the bottom of the tree onto the ground. This will remove any old needles, which the tree naturally sheds throughout its life.
• The tree will need to be watered every day and may drink anything between 1.125-4.5 litres (two pints to a gallon) of water a day. DO NOT allow the tree to dry out.
• Once the tree is in its stand and in the correct spot remove the netting.
• Avoid placing the tree near a fire, radiator or warm lighting (any direct heat source) as it will dry out with the potential effect of causing needle drop or drooping branches. In some cases even watering your tree will not stop this happening.

For a container-grown Christmas tree, Andrew suggests:

• Keep your tree outside until you are ready to decorate it.
• When you take it in make sure that you place it away from direct heat.
• Water regularly, not allowing it to dry out.
• After Christmas either plant the tree out in your garden, or else re-pot it into a larger pot.
• Remember your tree will respond better if you feed it during the growing season.
• When taking the tree out after Christmas do not put it straight out into an exposed situation – instead put it into a garage or similar situation to allow it to acclimatise.