How long will a REAL Christmas tree last?

[monkeyboy]

How long will a Real Christmas tree last?

How early are they cut before being sent to market?

Would a fresh cut tree last longer?

Ho Ho Ho

 

[KarenC]

Depends where you get it. Ours usually last as long as we need them to. Last year we bought one from a stand in Wisconsin where they were cut just before Thanksgiving. We took the tree down Christmas day because we were headed for Disney World the day after. Didn't want a live tree unattended while we were gone.

The trees we've cut ourselves have lasted at least 3 weeks. I love having a "real" tree.

 

[bcvprincesses]

We always cut our own tree and it lasts 4 or 5 weeks. It would actually last longer but we always take it down after New Years. Don't forget to water it at least once a day.

 

[Kimberle]

Yup, totally depends on where you get it.

We get our's from a Florist each year. He gets them from the same Christmas tree farm in Canada each year. He doesn't bring them down until the day before Thanksgiving. When they are cut, they keep better in the cold.

We generally get it either Thanksgiving w/end or the next w/end and our tree will last till New Years. Even then, it is still pretty fresh. Got to give it lots of water. If you can, keep your temp down in your house, too.

 

[piratesmate]

We usually cut ours in mid-December and the tree has always lasted until mid-February. (Except the one year it was VERY warm & we didn't cut it until right before Christmas hoping for cooler weather. That year it started to drop at the end of January.)

I can't remember the recipe for "fireproofing" the tree, but I use that to water the tree since it's in the house so long. (I think it has clorox, aspirin, Epsom salts...) Our tree stand also has a very large reservoir so we don't need to water daily. However, the first few days we check twice daily as a freshly cut tree will really suck down the water!

If you cut your own, remember to cut off at least an inch if you don't get it into the tree stand & water within an hour of cutting it.

The first couple years we were married, we bought a cut tree & those never lasted more than 2 weeks. I'm not sure how long they'd been cut.

 

[scarlett873]

when i was married to my ex, we would go to a christmas tree farm just down the road from our house and cut our own tree down! it would last until about new year's...just had to give it lots and lots of water. the tree farm would give us this package of "food" to put into the water that helped the tree last longer!

 

[Patty3]

You guys have had such great luck with your trees, I do not know what I am doing wrong. There are some years that our tree will still be ok on New Years, but there have been other years when we have had to take the tree down the day after Christmas. Everytime we would walk by the tree the needles would fall off and of course we could not light the darn thing. I would water everyday, leave the tree in the garage to get used to the change in temperature before bringing the tree in and the tree would still get bad. I would buy the tree the second week of December. When picking out the tree, I would always check the needles and we keep the heat inside at 68. Any suggestions?

 

[piratesmate]

Patty3 - I used to hear reports that trees were cut in Canada in August to ship to the US. I think if that's true of where you get your tree, there's not much you can do about keeping them too long.

Question - Are you cutting off at least an inch from the bottom of the tree right before putting it into the stand & filling with water? It shouldn't sit longer than an hour when you cut it yourself & less than that if it was pre-cut because it will seal over preventing it from absorbing water.

Suggestion - Turn down the heat when you go to bed. We keep the temp at 68 during the day and push it down to 63 or 65 overnight. We also try to put it up in an area ouside the heat flow in the house or away from heating vents. (In our house the warm air "rushes" up the stairs because the rooms are so open.)

BTW - I never heard of letting the tree adjust to temps between outside & inside before. Does everyone else do that? Just curious.

 

[Patty3]

piratesmate, yes, DH does cut at least three inches from the bottom of the tree right before we put the tree in the stand. I tend to buy a bigger tree and use the branches around the house for decoration. We close any vents that are close to the tree. I use room temperature water when watering the tree. I guess I just need to find a place where I can cut down our own tree and lower the indoor temp at night. Thanks.

 

[piratesmate]

I always use hot tap water instead of room temp. I read somewhere that it absorbs quicker that way.

I just found this info on keeping a Christmas tree:

"Here's the "Recipe" for a TRULY Safe Tree!
Want a really fire-proof Christmas tree? One that will also keep its needles as long as possible? Your best bet is to cut it yourself while it's still alive and growing at a Christmas tree farm; it's a great family outing, and you'll start out with the freshest tree possible.

If you're buying a pre-cut tee, make sure its needles are nice and flexible--not hard and brittle--before you buy. No matter where it comes from, when you get it home, saw an inch off the bottom of the trunk and sit it in a big container of water, like a washtub or trough--and keep that container filled--a big tree can suck up several gallons a day. After a few days, that tree will be absolutely saturated.

(Forget our record rains; many trees are 'imported', and could have been grown in a droughty area, far, far away, and be very dry by the time you buy.)

Then give it a good shaking to remove dead needles--you'll eliminate a lot of the needle drop you see over the holidays this way; in fact, your shaken and 'saturatedly safe' tree should keep its needles long past the New Year!

OK--now, when you place the tree in its stand, be careful not to remove any bark around the bottom of the trunk--that bark is the only way the tree can suck up water; if you scrape it all off to make the trunk fit in the stand, the tree will quickly dry out and become a hazard. (Don't worry about the holes most stands make in the bark; they're not a problem.)

Position your tree far away from radiators, wood stoves and other heat sources. Use the biggest water container you can, and make sure it stays full--if it dries out for even a day, that tree will be unable to take up water again. But let's be honest--this chore is a drag! You get down on the floor, battle the bottom branches, and always manage to spill half the water on the carpet. On the other hand, there's nothing worse than a dried out Christmas tree--its just no fun when your living room carpet is replaced by a sharp layer of dropped needles!

That's why a clever new device caught my eye this year--it allows you to keep that reservoir full by pouring water into what looks like an ornament on the tree; yes--you can Water Your Christmas Tree While You're Standing Up!

It's called "Santa's Magic Water Spout" (no comments please, folks--I don't name 'em; I just report 'em...). This American-made "Christmas Tree Watering Tube" gadget (that's what the Brookstone catalog calls it) looks like an oversized bell shaped ornament on your tree; but that hollow bell--attached by hidden Velcro straps--sits atop a three-foot long tube that runs right down to the reservoir. You pour water into the 'bell' and it fills the tree's water holder far below. There's even a built in water level indicator whose top looks like a holly berry 'floating' in the bell!"

Or go herefor the full article.

Or this onefor "How to Make Your Christmas Tree Last Longer
This recipe contains bleach, so be careful about getting it on a carpet or rug.
This recipe will NOT make your tree fire PROOF, but it will slow down the drying-out.

2 cups Karo Syrup
2 oz. liquid bleach
2 pinches Epsom salt
½ tsp. borax
1 tsp. chelated iron
hot water
Procedure:
•Mix fireproofing materials. Fill a 2-gallon bucket with hot water to within an inch of the top and add the ingredients. Stir thoroughly.
•With a saw, make a fresh cut at the base of the trunk. Cut off at least an inch.
•Stand the tree in this solution for 24 hours.
•Put the tree in its tree-stand and fill the well with the solution.
•Keep the rest of the solution in a container to replenish the tree-stand well every day."

 

[Patty3]

piratesmate, thank you so much. Hopefully this year, our tree will make it to New Years in good shape. Excellent article, thanks again!

 

[missypie]

We cut our tree down the day after Thanksgiving and it always lasts until after New Years with no problem. The first week ro so it just gulps water.

But if you buy it from a lot, it may be too late from day 1. Once we visited realtives in Minnesota in mid-October and saw truck loads of Christmas trees heading south.