How to Care for a Real Christmas Tree
1) Choosing your tree
Christmas tree care starts in the planning phase before you've bought your tree as you'll need to decide where you want to put it, then choose a Christmas tree that's the right height, width and type for you. The location you choose should be away from heat sources such as radiators and fires and ideally close to a wall plug socket if you will be looking to have lights on your tree. Corners can be a good place as this keeps your tree out of the way of knocks and bumps and allows you to choose the best side of the Christmas tree to display.
Once you've decided on a location in (or outside) of the home, use a tape measure to size up the space you have available and note down the dimensions. Avoid the temptation of choosing a tree that's taller than what you really need as you'll just end up having to cut off part of the base and potentially remove some of the lower branches, which may spoil the shape of your tree. See our Christmas tree size guide for tips on the right Christmas tree to choose for your space.
Next, you'll need to decide what type of tree you'd like to buy. There are several different types:
Real Fresh Cut Christmas Trees
1) Nordman Fir
Nordman Fir Christmas trees are the best for needle retention with thick, glossy needles which are soft and rounded, suitable for households with pets and children. The Nordman Fir will hold onto its needles for up to 5 weeks with the right care, so if you put it up in the home in late November, your tree will still be looking good at the end of December. It is the most popular Christmas tree in the UK, chosen by about 75% of households, with a symmetrical, bushy growth habit, strong branches and wide base for presents.
The traditional Christmas tree with short and thin, lighter green pointed needles. It has a broad base with a more triangular shape and attractive red-brown bark and a bushy habit. The Norway has a rich, coniferous fragrance and is the best value for larger trees. It was introduced to Great Britain by Prince Albert and there is a strong tradition of Oslo sending trees to the cities of London, New York, Edinburgh and Washington DC each year. Needle retention is weaker than the Nordman Fir but can be minimised by placing your tree well away from radiators and other sources of heat and keeping it in plenty of fresh water.
3) Blue Spruce
Blue spruce Christmas trees are perfect if you’re looking for something a little different to the most popular Nordman Fir and Norway Spruce varieties. It will bring a sense of elegance to your Christmas display with luxurious, slightly waxy, blue-green needles that pair well especially with white, silver or pale-coloured decorations. Blue spruce has a compact, conical growth habit with sturdy branches that provide the ideal structure for any weightier decorations. Native to the Rocky Mountains and growing naturally in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana.
4) Fraser Fir
Fraser Fir has been one of the most popular Christmas trees in the US for some time. In fact, it has been the Christmas tree used in the White House more often than any other variety! It started being used here in the UK relatively recently and is well-loved for its leaner structure with a narrower base than Nordman and Norway Spruce trees. Dense, soft, shiny deep green needles offer excellent needle retention similar to the Nordmann Firs. It gives off a wonderful pine scent, perfect if you are looking for a traditional Christmas aroma from your tree.
5) Noble Fir - Noble Firs make an excellent, unique Christmas tree with a low needle drop rate, citrus-like festive fragrance, rounded needles that are safe for children and pets and a beautiful, dense symmetrical shape. Our trees are carefully trimmed to a symmetrical shape with whorled branches and flattened foliage. What’s most unique about this tree is the upcurving, bi-coloured needles which are a deep, luscious green on top with a stripe of white running all down the centre of each needle on the underside. Noble fir trees are native to the forests of Washington and Oregon in North America and were introduced into Britain in 1830.
6) Lodgepole Pine - We don’t grow many lodgepole trees but we love them because they’re perfect for standing out from the crowd with their unique, distinctive and slightly rustic appearance. Lodgepoles are bushy growers and especially full at the base, perfect for adding splendour and elegance to medium to large size rooms. They have upright branches, making them easy to decorate and beautiful long, lush green needles. The name ‘Lodgepole’ comes from the way these trees were used as the main structure for lodges and teepees, built initially by native Americans and later by Europeans.
7) Korean Fir – Abies koreana aka Korean Silver Fir is related to the Nordman Fir but slower growing with a more compact, pyramidal form producing a neat, conical shaped tree. Korean Fir needles are not as sharp than the traditional Norway Spruce and needle retention in the house is better. The needles are also shorter at maturity with rich silvery blue undersides, arranged radially around the shoots resulting in thick bushy branches. This bright unusual colour and high needle density give it an eye-catching appearance and make for an excellent specimen to decorate.
It's vital cut trees are fresh when bought. Needles should not be dry and dull or branches brittle. Needles on the outer part of the tree should not fall off when the tree is gently shaken. Some loss of internal needles is normal as these are naturally shed over the life of the tree.
To check a tree's freshness, pull your hand along a couple of the branches to the ends; needles on a healthy tree should not fall off. Another way to check this is to drop the tree onto its base from 1 foot (30cm) above the ground. If choosing your own tree from a nursery or Christmas tree farm, bend a needle between your thumb and forefinger. It should form a "U" shape without breaking, unless the needles are frozen.
You might prefer to keep the memory of your Christmas tree alive by buying a pot grown Christmas tree that you can plant outdoors after Christmas. We think this is a particularly good idea if it's your child's first Christmas so you have a lasting memory and can treasure the first tree which will grow with them. For more information on the different types of tree, please visit our page on Choosing between different types of real Christmas tree. At Jackson's Nurseries we sell all of the above types of tree, so you can shop for your Christmas tree online and have it delivered to your front door anywhere in the UK on a day of your choosing.
Pot Grown Christmas Trees
2) When to buy your Christmas tree
We would advise against bringing your Christmas tree into the home any earlier than the 1st of December. Remember that real Christmas trees have been living things and however well you care for them, even the varieties that hold their needles most effectively will only look their best for up to 5 weeks. 'No needle drop' Nordman Fir trees will stay looking strong right through Christmas with the right care and attention if installed at the beginning of December. If you're looking to choose a Spruce, particularly the Norway Spruce, we recommend bringing your tree into the home in mid-late December to minimise the number of needles that will fall before Christmas. You can of course order your tree online well in advance and select a preferred delivery date of your choice :)
Installing a Norway Spruce on the 1st December means it may start to look a little bit ropey by Christmas day (when it should be taking centre stage!) if the room is a little too hot or if you forgot to top up the water for a couple of days. At Jackson's Nurseries we grown many of our own trees on site which are cut regularly throughout December, so you can rest assured that you're getting a freshly cut tree whenever you choose to buy.
3) Getting your tree home
No one wants to damage or excessively dry out their Christmas tree before they get it home. If you're visiting a nursery or Christmas tree farm and will be taking it home by car, have the nursery net the tree for you. If it's not too tall to fit into your car, open the boot and passenger door and slide the Christmas tree in from the boot, base first. Have someone help you position the base in the front passenger foot-well with the top of the tree resting near the back windscreen in the opposite corner - reclining the front passenger seat to support the tree may help. Avoid using the heating on your way home to prevent the tree from drying out and put it in water as soon as you get home. If the tree is too large to fit inside your vehicle, make sure it is well secured to the roof or roof rack. If using a roof rack, attach it so the base is at the front of your car and the top of the tree at the back. Cut trees in particular don't like being exposed to high winds as they dehydrate the tree and may damage the branches, so it's best to avoid attaching the tree outside of your vehicle on a long journey if possible.
4) Storing your Christmas tree before you're ready to put it up in the home
Remove the netting and keep your Christmas tree in a cool, sheltered, dry place until you're ready to bring it into the home. When you’re ready to bring your tree into your home, saw off one inch (2.5cm) from the bottom of the trunk. Make the cut perpendicular to the tree stem, going straight across. Do not cut a "v" shape out of the base or drill holes into the bottom of the trunk; this does not aid water absorption in any way and will just make it more difficult to keep your tree straight when putting it into the stand later. Make the cut with a saw with large "teeth" - don't try to use an axe which is likely to split the tree vertically. The reason for cutting off an inch at the bottom of the trunk is because when trees are cut, sap oozes out and hardens within about 5 hours when not in water, creating a seal and preventing further water absorption even when put in water again. You can ask the nursery or Christmas tree farm to make the cut for you if it won't take you too long to get home.
Your tree can absorb up to 4 litres of water in the first day so use a large bucket and keep it topped up. If the water level falls below the base of the trunk for more than 5 hours at any time you'll need to cut a further inch off the base again which will leave less of a stem to hold the tree securely within the stand and may mean you have to take off some lower branches, potentially impacting the shape of your tree.
5) Installing your tree in the home
We recommend laying down a Christmas tree skirt, some tarpaulin or even some Christmas themed paper before bringing your tree into the home. This will protect from any water that escapes whilst you're topping up your Christmas tree stand over the coming weeks and help capture any needles falling from your tree. If your Christmas tree skirt fits over the cradle, you can still place a water barrier underneath the cradle and apply the Christmas tree skirt after your tree has been mounted. This will prevent pets from attempting to drink the water in the base as well as making your tree more presentable.
Before bringing your tree into the house, double-check that the water level where it's been standing hasn't fallen below the bottom of the trunk for more than 5 hours and, if it has, saw off another 1 inch (2.5cm) from the bottom of the trunk, cutting straight across perpendicular to the trunk, as described above. Our ‘Quick’ Christmas tree stand is perfect for holding your tree upright and providing a large water bowl to keep it hydrated all with the least amount of stress and effort.
Whatever approach you choose, make sure the tree is well secured and stable and do not chop chunks of bark off the side of the tree just to make it fit into your stand because it's the outer layer that provides most of the water absorption. We recommend two people set up the Christmas tree, so one can fix the base whilst the other holds the tree stable. Before you start decorating, ensure the tree is sitting straight as it'll be far easier to fix at this point rather than later. Allow at least a couple of hours for the tree to "settle" into shape before decorating.
6) Decorating your Christmas tree
For many people, decorating the Christmas tree is the most enjoyable part. However - it's also important to think about safety - with a bit of common sense a properly maintained Christmas tree should not be a fire hazard. If you have to install your tree away from an easily accessible wall socket and will be using electric lights, use an extension cable and tuck it away tidily, remembering not to overload electrical sockets. Check your Christmas tree lights to ensure that the bulbs are working properly and inspect the cords for any damage or insecure connections. Using miniature lights that produce less heat and remember to turn them off when you go out and retire at night will reduce the drying of your tree. Newer LED (light emitting diode) holiday lights cost only pennies a season to run, so they are a good value, while they also decrease fire risk because they stay cooler. Never use candles on Christmas trees. Replace any decorations that look worn. Strategically position small and fragile ornaments out of the reach of pets and small children to prevent they being eaten or accidentally damaged.
7) Watering your Christmas tree
You should think of your Christmas tree in the same way as cut flowers in that it needs a constant supply of water which must be topped up on a regular basis. In fact, when you purchase your Christmas tree, more than half its weight is water. When you first saw off an inch (2.5cm) from the base of your tree and place it in water, it may absorb up to 4 litres of water over the first 24 hours, particularly if the tree has dried out from wind or a heated car on the way home. Thereafter, a rough rule of thumb is that a Christmas tree can be expected to absorb one litre of water for every inch (2.5cm) diameter of the trunk per day. For example, if you have a tree with a 2 inch or 5cm diameter trunk, it may absorb up to around 2 litres of water per day. Regular water is both helps prevent your tree from drying out and stops it from becoming a fire hazard.
Keep your tree stand or pot regularly topped up with water because if the water level falls below the bottom of the base of your tree, the sap at the base will harden within about 5 hours, creating a seal and preventing further water absorption even if you were to top up the water supply again. If you have a Norway Spruce regular watering will also help retain the rich coniferous fragrance for longer. There is no need to spray the needles or branches with water on any type of tree. There have been a lot of myths about what to add to your Christmas tree water recently, whether it be aspirin, honey, sugar, plant food or anything else. None of these are necessary - plain water is best.
8) On-going Christmas tree Care
If you install a variety other than the 'low needle drop' Nordman Fir more than a couple of weeks before Christmas you're probably going to need to tidy up a few fallen pine needles, even with the very best Christmas tree care. In fact, it's part of the life cycle of conifer trees that they drop their needles and this will accelerate if they are dehydrated. Use a dust pan and brush or vacuum cleaner, remembering to empty it regularly as lots of needles can clog up even a larger device. You'll need to tidy needles every couple of days to prevent them from accumulating, which is hazardous for children and pets. A well-watered tree will lose fewer needles but all fresh trees will lose some. Occasionally check for sap leakage from your tree that may have found its way onto nearby furnishings and floor coverings - the sooner these are found, the easier they are to remove.
9) Disposing of your tree
Pot grown Christmas trees can be planted in the garden or put on the patio after Christmas and have a good chance of survival, providing you followed the care steps above whilst it was in the home. Make sure you choose a suitable location for the eventual height/spread of the tree and water well after planting, bearing in mind that some types of Christmas tree can reach a height of 15-20 metres (50-65 feet) within 20 years. Virtually all trees like a sheltered area out of the wind whilst young but a spot with lots of sunlight is also key.
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