Buying A Real Christmas Tree.

Buying A Real Christmas Tree.

Christmas trees sometimes could have been cut six or seven weeks prior to you buying them. So if possible buy fresh from a Christmas Tree grower.
The traditional Christmas tree , the Norway Spruce, is not the longest lasting by a long chalk.
If you must have the traditional shape,the longest lasting is the Nordman Spruce, more expensive, but will see the New Year!
Pines also last the full season and do not shed there needles and look superb when decorated.
The best tip of all is to buy a live tree with roots,it is possible to reuse them year after year.
My tips for buying and looking after real trees are as follows:
(1) Buy fresh from a specialist grower
(2) If this is not possible,buy a Nordman spruce or any type of pine.Or buy a pot grown tree.
(3) Check for freshness, by sqeezing the needles: If they feel hard or some fall off,reject the tree. Fresh needles are soft and springy.
(4) Treat your tree with an anti-transpirent Christmas tree spray.This slows down the process of the needles drying out.
(5) Store the tree outside untill abot 10 days before Christmas for potted or 5-7 days for cut.
(6) For cut trees,before you bring them indoors,saw a couple of inches off the base.(The old cut will have healed over and be unable to take up water )
(7) Either buy a Christmas tree stand that will hold water or set the tree in a large pot,(make sure it does NOT have drainage holes), of wet sand.
(8) Add a couple of pints of water to the tree, (whether it is cut or pot grown), every day, including Christmas Morning!
Relax and enjoy one of the true wonders of Christmas.
Remember that Christmas trees are grown as a crop and every year more and more are being planted, so you are not depleting some natural forest by buying a real tree!