Christmas Tree: 5 Tips To Keep Your Tree Green
Every year, it's the same dilemma: should you buy your Christmas tree in advance to enjoy it longer or decorate it at the last minute so that it stays green with its thorns? If you want to keep your Christmas tree as long as possible, here are 5 tips to keep it green.
1- Choose the right location
The number one rule to know about keep a Christmas tree green is to carefully choose its location in the house.
Reserve it a place away from heat sources before you even go to buy your tree!
Indeed, if you put it up near a radiator or a fireplace for example, you are sure that the tree will dry out in no time.
Place it preferably in a room that stays cool or, if you can, in your garden or on your terrace.
If you can also, turn down the heating thermostat in the room where the Christmas tree is located by a few degrees.
Other little common sense tips, avoid installing it :
- behind a bay window where direct sunlight could dry it out
- in high-traffic areas where the tree may be regularly jostled.
2- Choose the right variety
The choice of tree is a matter of taste but also of budget. The different varieties offered for sale do not have the same price but also do not have the same longevity once the tree is installed in the house.
If you buy a Nordmann tree, which is the most expensive, your tree will last fairly a month.
If you opt for a Nobilis tree, wait until mid-December before purchasing it as it is less durable.
If you prefer a spruce, wait until the last moment before installing it at home and decorating it, otherwise it will quickly lose its needles.
3- Remember to water it before decorating it
Even if your tree has been cut down, you can care for it like a houseplant, at least until you decorate it.
Place its foot in a dish and water it! You'll be surprised to find that it can drink one to two liters of water every day.
Also remember to brush its branches while the tree is still undecorated.
These gestures that are usually reserved for Green plants and other Indoor plants are a good way to prevent your Christmas tree from drying out prematurely.
4- Avoid artificial snow
Even if artificial snow is pretty, it has the major disadvantage of drying out the branches of living Christmas trees.
That's why it's best to avoid adorning your Christmas tree with fake snow if you want it to last longer.
Also beware of old-fashioned electric garlands with bulbs that get hot. Prefer newer models of Christmas lights that use LED bulbs that do not heat up.
5- Opt for a potted tree
Finally, the best solution to make your Christmas tree last even longer, i.e. several years, is to purchase a potted tree.
If you want to enjoy it for many Christmases, you should replant your tree in a pot twice as big using a suitable potting soil and water it a little every day.
Ideally, you should spray its branches and wait until the last moment to bring it inside and decorate it.
Once the festivities are over, remember to put it back outside, in your garden or on your balcony, so that it can continue to live its life and grow.
You can decorate it again, preferably by leaving it outside, the following Christmas.
This solution, more expensive at the time of purchase, is more economical in the long run and above all more ecological. Provided you have a green thumb, it's the best way to keep your Christmas tree... over several years.
