Finding and decorating the right Christmas tree is a beautiful way to build holiday memories. Cleaning up fallen needles from a dying tree can be a nightmare and come sooner than expected.
When you get real Christmas trees, there’s no saying how long they’ve been standing already. No matter what you do, you can find your Christmas tree withers and has very few green needles by the time the holidays are over.
So, how can you make a Christmas tree last longer? First, it will depend on the type of tree you have. Fraser firs are popular and last longest.
The second is spruce, as they have a pleasant aroma, as does the White Pine. Pine, along with Spruce trees lasting the least amount of time, you’ll find pine needles falling and making a mess too easily.
Unless you are sure what kind of Christmas tree you have and it is a real tree, it is best to learn how to keep Christmas tree alive, and then you can avoid the aggravation.
Branches won’t get any benefit as the sugars clog the pores used for taking up water.
In our guide, you can learn all you need about keeping a healthy Christmas tree for as long as possible. (Read Christmas Cactus Propagation Guide)
By the end, using our tips and tricks, you’ll have enough information to make a Christmas tree stay a green tree throughout the Christmas period.
How Long Can You Keep a Live Christmas Tree Indoors?
The conventional rule for keeping a live Christmas tree indoors is that it should only be kept for a week to ten days at most. If the ground isn’t frozen, real trees can be planted outside based on planting instructions.
You can follow many tips to make a Christmas tree last longer.
Will a Real Christmas Tree Last 4 weeks?
If you’ve opted to buy a fresh-cut Christmas tree this year, you’re probably looking forward to cutting it down and bringing it home.
If you cut your tree too soon, you may find it challenging to keep it fresh until Christmas Day or the New Year.
Even the freshest-cut trees aren’t made to stay forever, and many people decorate on November 1st. A healthy, fresh-cut Christmas tree will last four to five weeks if properly cared for.
Christmas trees are cut between the middle of November and the middle of December, so don’t assume that all of the trees for sale were cut recently. (Read Best Time To Plant Trees)
If you’re buying a pre-cut tree, find out when the other trees on the property were cut. Choose one that has recently fallen (within the week, if feasible) to ensure that it maintains its appearance throughout the season.
The time a Christmas tree lasts depends on the species of evergreen fir. Fir, cypress, pine, and spruce are the most common Christmas trees found at tree farms and local home and garden, retailers.
Fir and cypress preserve most of their needles for four to five weeks, respectively, whereas pine trees and spruce shed many needles in two to three weeks.
Take the tree you want by the trunk and shake it to check the volume and color of the needles that fall off before buying it. If the tree is still young, only a few brown needles should fall off; many fallen green needles show that the tree has already dried out.
Many carry their tree home in the wrong manner, and proper care starts before you leave the place you get your tree. So, ensure it is bundled and strapped to your car or pickup bed so the wind can buffet no branches. (Learn How To Hang Christmas Lights Without Nails)
Tips to keep your Christmas Tree green:
- Place your tree upright in metal, plastic, or concrete reservoir-style Christmas tree stands.
- Within 2-hours of returning home, fill the tree stand with one quart of cool tap water for every inch of the trunk’s diameter.
- Set your tree in a bucket of water if you don’t put it up right away when you get home. (Real trees should always be stored in an unheated garage or in a protected spot away from the elements.)
- When you’re ready to carry it inside, cut another inch off the bottom of the trunk.
- Monitor the Christmas tree water level daily and add more to keep the bottom two inches of the trunk submerged to keep your Christmas tree fresh. Most trees have the highest watering in the first week.
- A film of resin would have developed over the wood cells at the base of the trunk, sealing it and preventing water uptake if your tree was cut over six to eight hours ago.
- Use a saw to cut a half-inch of wood off the base of the tree trunk before placing it in your tree stand to re-open the cells and allow the tree to absorb water. Don’t think cutting at angles or drilling holes will increase water uptake and help retain moisture.
- To preserve moist needles and that vivid green hue, position your tree indoors at a temperature of ideally only 70 degrees Fahrenheit and away from direct sunlight.
- Similarly, avoid placing the tree near heat sources such as a fireplace, radiator, or space heaters, or heating vents, as these will prematurely dry your tree.
- Use LED lights, which generate less heat than incandescent bulbs and stop your pine needles from drying out.
When Should I Buy A Real Christmas Tree?
The weekend following Thanksgiving is when most Christmas tree purchases are made. Personal factors such as family custom, religious philosophy, and a flood of post-Thanksgiving “getting into the Christmas spirit” media hype can all influence your decision to put off buying your holiday tree.
If none of these or other personal preferences apply to you, you might browse for and purchase a Christmas tree earlier in November.
Early Christmas tree purchases will benefit from reduced competition for high-quality Christmas tree selections and a fresher holiday tree if correctly displayed and watered. Here are a few reasons to get a tree as soon as possible. (Read How Long Does It Take For An Avocado Tree To Bear Fruit)
Mid-November is an enjoyable time to think about your Christmas tree purchase and to make it happen. Typically, Christmas tree farms open around the middle of November and begin cutting trees for lot sales. These include sizeable wholesale and smaller tree farms specializing in “cut your own tree.”
Such Christmas tree farms encourage early sales in areas where the trees are mature and in decent shape.
Online tree farms require you to place orders as early as November. Despite the inflated cost, you can find internet-purchased holiday trees that are top quality compared to some from tree farms, although they need to last several weeks to remain a fresh tree with little effort and stand proud in your home.
No matter how you get your tree, you’ll need to know how long a Christmas tree lasts before the branches wither halfway through the holiday season.
Many Christmas trees purchased from a tree farm are cut in early to mid-November. So, if you gain these trees after Thanksgiving, the drying process will be underway and could leave you with a Christmas tree with little chance of lasting a few weeks.
Buying a tree earlier and following tips here can help. It also has homeowners asking what to put in Christmas tree water to help the tree stand fresh.
To stay fresh, many individuals think they can add sugar or corn syrup to help give the tree a boost. Unfortunately, it’s counterproductive to adding sugar to Christmas tree water.
So, no matter if you have the wrong tree or the right tree, all you need is for your tree to stand in plain tap water is needed to quench your tree’s thirst and help it be a fresh tree up to and through the holiday season.
Another way you can do this is to use a humidifier to keep a Christmas tree fresh. You can add enough moisture into the room to stop the tree and pine needles from drying out and you have a healthy tree for longer.
One thing often overlooked is what to do with the tree once the holiday decorations come down? You may be happy to find, you don’t need a wood chipper to dispose of your tree, and you can gather up your pine needles and use them as mulch. (Read Avocado Leaves Are Turning Brown Guide)
Besides this, trim the branches and lay these around your plants to help protect them from the oncoming freezing weather.
