Feeding a Christmas Tree...

[schmalex]

Hello folks

Do any of you Christmas Tree aficionados have top tips to keep a Christmas Tree fed and fresh?! We are water only at the moment, but I have suspicion that it'll start drying out soon so am thinking about how to sustain it for as long as possible. I've heard of using lemonade or asprin or spoonfuls of sugar. Does PH have any top tips?!?!

[caiss4]

Water only has worked for me the past 10 years or more. The secret is getting the cut tree in to water asap. For folks like us who live in the boonies then the time between tree cut and stood in water is 20 minutes!

Regardless of location, buy the tree at the earliest opportunity (store outside in a bucket of water if you don't want it in the house until a week before Christmas) but make sure you cut off a 5cm piece of the trunk before storing/erecting it and then keep it watered. This has worked for me without paying a premium for 'non-drop' trees.

[Johnnytheboy]

I deliver them to offices for a living.

Imho watering makes no difference at all after the first few days.

Far more important is too keep them cool as much as you can.

[bigee]

I have been selling trees for a lot of years, as said above,you need a fresh cut to the base of the tree and a stand that will hold water. Try not to place near a radiator and keep watered. You can do no more than this.

[Vizsla]

Repeat what I posted this time last year - buy a 'live' one rooted in a pot, and keep it out on the patio for the rest of the year. No problem with dropping needles, current one (Norway Spruce) now 5 years old and looking great, why chuck £40 down the drain every year?

In open ground it can apparently grow up to 3ft/year, and reach 180ft , but in a pot ours has only grown about 6-9" per year, so manageable.

[Johnnytheboy]

It's ok but they only have a limited life in a pot before root restriction makes them go all spindly.

[Vizsla]

Johnnytheboy said:

It's ok but they only have a limited life in a pot before root restriction makes them go all spindly.

Fair enough, but I think it was around £30 IIRC, 5-years out of it so far, even if it keels over in January I reckon it's been a good buy.

Tight, me? (OK, I am a Northerner!)

Edit to add: repotting and feeding it over the summer may have helped?

Edited by Vizsla on Monday 19th December 22:00

[northwest monkey]

Vizsla said:

In open ground it can apparently grow up to 3ft/year, and reach 180ft , but in a pot ours has only grown about 6-9" per year, so manageable.

Sounds about right. The OH and I were going away for Christmas one year so decided to get a little tree in a pot - about 3' tall - for the couple of weeks of December we were at home. Before we went on holiday we put it in the garden and in January dug a hole and planted it. Later that year we sold the house and simply forgot all about the little Christmas tree.

Fast forward about 10 years and we were driving past our old house & noticed it was up for sale. Being nosy, we decided to have a peek in the back garden & bugger me - the "little" tree now has a massive thick trunk and was about 25' tall

[Triumph Man]

I heard that a drop of lemonade keeps them fresher for longer.

[antspants]

Same as others said, but get a decent base that holds plenty of water.

Tends to use a lot in first 24 hours and then less and less from that point on.

[JayBM]

Not many topics I feel qualified to comment on but seeing as we spend each December selling home grown xmas trees I'll have a stab at this one:

1. Buy the freshest cut tree you can, if you can find a local place that has home grown trees all the better. A lot of the mass market trees will have been cut a number of weeks before you buy them, so you're already behind the game.
2. If the tree you've bought has been cut longer than a day or so, freshen the cut by taking the bottom centimetre off.
3. Use a water stand or failing that a bucket with gravel/sand topped up with water. We've seen no benefit in using any additions or other concoctions.
4. Don't put the tree next to a radiator or in an excessively warm room/house.

You're bound to get a little shedding but with the above you should be able to get a normal Norway Spruce to last. If you put one of the Nordmann "non-drops" next to a radiator you're presents will be under a sea of needles my Christmas eve.

[Johnnytheboy]

antspants said:

Same as others said, but get a decent base that holds plenty of water.

Tends to use a lot in first 24 hours and then less and less from that point on.

Big flat stands are the best and also easier to get the tree straight. Cinco ones are good, can get them on Amazon.

[hutchst]

A drop of whisky might lead to it producing some new saplings. I know it does for me.

[antspants]

Johnnytheboy said:

Big flat stands are the best and also easier to get the tree straight. Cinco ones are good, can get them on Amazon.

Mine looks exactly like that, not sure if same brand, got it from the farm we get our tree from.

Hold lots of water so you don't need to top it up too often.

[funkyrobot]

hutchst said:

A drop of whisky might lead to it producing some new saplings. I know it does for me.

Tree looks 'sexy' after a fee drams, does it?

[omniflow]

Johnnytheboy said:

Big flat stands are the best and also easier to get the tree straight. Cinco ones are good, can get them on Amazon.

The absolute best Xmas tree stand is a Krinner.

Getting the tree straight is as easy as holding it straight and pumping the foot pedal 4 or 5 times until tight. The tree will not move, and any lack of straightness will be down to you not having it vertical. It also holds at least 5 pints of water.

I've gone from Xmas tree erecting being a total nightmare, that took at least an hour to get everything sorted, to it being a total breeze - max 5 mins from start to finish.

[schmunk]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

1/5 stars in each of the three reviews...

[Shakermaker]

omniflow said:

Johnnytheboy said:

Big flat stands are the best and also easier to get the tree straight. Cinco ones are good, can get them on Amazon.

The absolute best Xmas tree stand is a Krinner.

Getting the tree straight is as easy as holding it straight and pumping the foot pedal 4 or 5 times until tight. The tree will not move, and any lack of straightness will be down to you not having it vertical. It also holds at least 5 pints of water.

I've gone from Xmas tree erecting being a total nightmare, that took at least an hour to get everything sorted, to it being a total breeze - max 5 mins from start to finish.

Yes, I too have a Krinner and bloody good it is too.

What I tell myself every year though, is how i need one of those smaller, indoor watering cans with a long, low spout to easily access the bottom of the tree without forever spilling water when trying to use a jug when topping up.

[soad]

Triumph Man said:

I heard that a drop of lemonade keeps them fresher for longer.

Mixing lemon juice in with the tree's water will add nourishment, while adding a shot of vodka will help kill off bacteria?

[AlexHat]

The tree's getting pissed at this rate, first Whisky then Vodka and Lemon...