Christmas Trees Close to Home
The fresher your Christmas tree, the longer it will last; that goes without saying. For this reason we recommend buying British and if you can, buying local. This isn’t to say that our home-grown trees are necessarily better than our neighbours’ trees across the pond, just that it should mean that your tree will have spent less time in a dark container whilst making its merry way to you!
However, not all home grown trees are equal so we highly recommend buying from a supplier who is part of The British Christmas Tree Growers Association. This will ensure that the farm has performed the necessary checks for quality that lead to you having a beautiful centrepiece in your home this Christmas. All Creekside Christmas trees are certified by The British Christmas Tree Growers Association which is how you can be sure that you’ll receive a premium quality tree each and every year you order from us!
Blocked Trees vs. Normal Trees
It is our advice that you should always avoid buying trees that have been ‘blocked’ in wood and instead go for a freshly cut normal tree with an exposed trunk. A blocked tree simply has no way of drinking water and it will dry out rapidly in your warm home, losing its needles. Trees like this give all other real Christmas trees an undeserved reputation for needle loss!
Preserving Your Christmas Tree
If you’re not going to put your tree up straight away, leave it outside until you do. We all know Christmas trees prefer the cool outdoor temperatures to our cosy homes, so if you’re going to wait a while before putting up your tree, leave it outside (in a safe place), with the trunk in a cool bucket full of water.
Minimising Christmas Tree Needle
As your tree will have been netted, some loose needles are common and nothing to worry about. As we’re sure you would rather avoid needles dropping in your home, we suggest removing any needles which are ready to fall before bringing the tree inside. Let the branches settle and fall out naturally for around an hour outside, then “stamp” the bottom of the trunk against the ground firmly, several times until the needles stop falling. This should ensure minimal needle loss once your tree is all settled in your home.
Keeping Your Christmas Tree Fresh
Think of your tree as a big flower – something you’d always put straight into water. The more access to clean water your tree has, the longer it will stay fresh. To enhance its water absorption, saw an inch off the bottom of the trunk. This creates a fresh cut and opens up the pores in the bark, which otherwise block up with sap within a few hours of being cut. The tree is then able to drink water through these pores via capillary action, much like freshly cut flowers would. If you ensure a constant supply of fresh water to your Christmas tree, you’ll help to keep it full and bushy right through the
festive season.
The Right Temperature For Your Tree
Many gardeners are careful not to bring a plant from the outdoors straight into a very warm room. It might be folklore, but we think it is something best avoided if possible. Obviously, no one wants to sit in a freezing cold room for the sake of a Christmas tree but our advice is to ease up the temperature gradually when you first set up your tree. Direct heat will dry out your tree much faster for sure however, so be careful not to place it near any radiators or fires.
Choosing The Right Stand For Your Christmas Tree
Choosing a stand that is the correct size for your tree is very important and is often overlooked in the Christmas hustle and bustle! If possible, avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand as the outer layers of wood are the most efficient at taking up water and therefore should not be removed. It’s important to use a stand with an adequate water holding capacity for the tree. Fresh trees absorb approximately 1 litre of water per day per inch of trunk diameter – so you can imagine how important it is to make sure your tree has a lentiful supply! Your chosen stand should ideally hold enough water to last 24 hours.