It’s that time of year again – many of us are going out to get the main decoration for the festive season, the Christmas tree. But how do you stop it dropping its needles after a week and looking more twig than tree? Here are our top tips:
Check the needles before you buy – if they come off easily then the tree isn’t fresh and won’t last very long. Look at the base where it was sawn, the lighter the colour the fresher the tree.
Don’t remove any bark from the tree to get it into your container – this will significantly reduce the water uptake as the majority happens just below the bark. If your tree is very dense, trim a few branches back to the trunk. This will give your tree a more graceful appearance, reduce the number of branches which need water and give you some trimmings to use elsewhere (just make sure the sap doesn’t leak out of the end and mark furnishings).
If your tree does dry out and you’re worried it’s stopped taking up water you have a couple of options. The best bet is to take down the tree and saw about 5cm off the base. Obviously this isn’t a great option as it will take a lot of time and effort to undress and redress your tree! So you could have a go at drilling a couple of shallow, clean holes in the side of the base (under the water line).