The spirit of Christmas starts with putting up the tree. Many of us enjoy the appearance of a real tree and the fresh-cut evergreen scent filling our living rooms. It is an iconic Christmas smell.

However, if you’re choosing a real Christmas tree this year, you’ll want it to stay fresh for as long as possible. With proper maintenance, it will look full and healthy instead of droopy and wilt. To keep it in its best condition, here are our expert tips for looking after your Christmas tree as well as tips on how to get the most out of your tree this festive season. 

Trim the Trunk 

Once you have purchased a Christmas tree, make sure it gets a straight cut across the base of the trunk. This helps with water absorption and removes any dried resin that could stop the tree from absorbing fresh water. 

We recommend purchasing your tree as early as possible. Taking it out of its netting on the same day to allow it to simply drop before decorating. If you are not putting your tree up straight away, place it in a bucket of water. When it’s time to bring it indoors, trim another one inch off the trunk. Next, secure the tree in a sturdy tree stand that can hold at least one gallon of water.

Regularly Water Your Tree 

After all, a Christmas tree is still a plant and it needs water just like any other plant does. Regularly watering keeps your tree nice and plump. Make sure to check the water level everyday. Not enough water causes your tree to become dehydrated and resin to form. This means your tree will not absorb fresh water and can lead to drying too fast. To find out how much water your tree needs, fill the stand with one quart of water for every inch of the trunk’s diameter.

Keep Away from Heat

A Christmas tree next to a fireplace creates a beautiful and cosy setting. However, this can make your tree dry out quicker than normal. This also applies to direct sunlight, radiators, and stoves. In fact, if you lower the room temperature, this will slow down the drying process and result in your tree needing less water overall.

Disposing of Your Tree

As much as we would love to keep our real tree up forever, that’s simply not an option. If you hold off on this task, you will have more dead pine needles to clean up after. When the time comes to take your tree down, you have the choice of recycling it by turning it into firewood or you can take it to a recycling centre that gets rid of old Christmas trees.

Christmas Trees in Shropshire At Weston Sawmill

With hundreds of freshly cut Christmas trees in all sizes to choose from here in Shropshire, you’ll be sure to find the one at Weston Sawmill. We’re open 7 days a week up until Christmas. We stock trees from 3 to 15 ft. Prices start from just £20, which is better value than last year! For more information on our Christmas trees, read our Christmas Tree Guide or get in touch with us.