Caring For A Christmas Tree

Controlling Christmas Tree Debris

Tired of those flying Christmas tree needles? Control them by wrapping your tree in a fitted sheet. Before we bring our tree inside we first spray our tree with a hose to wash the dust and bugs off. Let it dry sitting in a bucket of water. Then we lay it on a fitted sheet, roll it and the sheet together wrapping the sheet around the tree, secure it with clothspins.

Now we can take it stump end first into the house without it shooting needles everywhere. We also spread a flat sheet on the floor under our tree holder or in our case a 5 gallon bucket of sand since we cut our own tree.

While we still have the fitted sheet around the tree, we get it set in the bucket or holder without get poked, thanks to the sheet. Then remove the sheet and decorate. By having the flat sheet spread out on the floor it catches anything we would knock off while decorating and before we spread out the skirt we just bunch the sheet up around the tree holder or bucket.

When we take the tree down, we just pull the tree out of the holder, and wrap the tree in the flat sheet; out the door we go without a mess again. Works wonderful. No more needles in the carpet!

By latrtatr from Loup City, NE

Christmas Tree Care

Here is an idea for neat Christmas tree care.

Approximate Time: 20 minutes

Supplies:

• 1-3 foot section of 1 inch PVC
• hack saw
• cork
• bright acrylic paint
• measuring cup
• honey
• aspirin
• water
• two spoons
• 1 paintbrush
• 1 extra large plastic wrapping bag or tree disposal bag
• a little duct tape
• scissors

Instructions:

Center the bottom of your tree disposal bag over the center of your stand. Or, cut an "X" in the bottom of the present bag (used for bikes and such) if you are using that option. Be sure there is a little space for you to add water to your tree. Add your tree to the stand and center.

Paint the cork with a bright color paint and let dry.

Using the hack saw, cut off the end of the PVC pipe at an angle. This will allow you to pour the feeding/anti needling solution into the tree stand.

Place 3 cups of water, and 1/4 cup of honey into the measuring cup. Crush an aspirin between two spoons and stir into the water. Place the prepared cork into the stand to allow you to see the water level in the stand and avoid overfilling. Place the straight cut end of the pipe into the stand and pour the water through the angled end; it's easier! To check whether your tree needs water, just look for the cork.

When the season is over, place a ring of duct tape around the bag on the trunk to seal in dried needles that may have dropped. Bring the bag up around the tree and ring once around the body of the tree with tape. Remove the tree.

Place the cork in the straight cut end of the PVC and store it with your empty stand.

By Lisa R. from Virginia Beach, VA

Keeping Your Christmas Tree Fresh Longer

Most people cut a bit off the bottom when they 1st get the tree, but if your tree dries out the closer it gets to Christmas this is easy to do while the tree is in the stand still. Take a drill and drill tiny holes toward the bottom of the tree and refill with water. We have done this the past 2 years and our tree is fresh longer.

By Debbie N from Tacoma, WA

Caring For A Christmas Tree

Nothing says Christmas quite like walking into a room filled with the fresh scent of pine needles. To keep your holiday tree fresh and looking its best throughout the New Year, follow these simple tips for Christmas tree care.

Care Tips For Cut Trees

1. Think of your Christmas tree like a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers. Once you get it home, you need to trim the "stem" and get it into water as soon as possible. Before placing it in the stand, remove a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch disk from the base of the trunk. Don't angle the cut or you'll only make it difficult to secure the trunk to the stand, and avoid removing the outer layers of bark. This is the layer that takes up water most efficiently.

2. If you can't get your tree into a stand right away, place it into a large bucket of water (room temperature is fine) and store it in a cool room like the basement or garage for a few days. This is also a good idea if your tree came home snow covered and you need to let it thaw out a bit before bringing it indoors.

3. Choose a stand with adequate water capacity that is the right size for your tree. Stands should be able to hold a minimum of 1 gallon of water. The rule is to provide at least 1 quart of water per inch of trunk diameter.

4. Check the water level of the tree stand daily. Don't let the water line fall below the bottom of the trunk or it may seal over and be unable to take up water. If this happens, you'll need to saw off a new disk from the base of the trunk.

5. Don't add anything to the water. Christmas tree producers will tell you that the best way to keep a tree fresh is to give it plenty of clean water. Skipping the additives will also prevent Fido or Fluffy from getting sick if they happen to sneak a drink while you're in the kitchen baking cookies.

6. Use a tree skirt. This will help slow water evaporation from the stand and help keep needles, sap (and Fido) out of the water.

7. Position your tree so that it's away from heat ducts, wood stoves, fireplaces and space heaters, which can not only be a fire hazard, but can dry out your tree prematurely.

8. Use low-heat lights to help prevent needles and branches from drying out.

Care Tips for Living Trees

1. Before you purchase a living tree, make sure to select a species of tree that will grow successfully in your zone.

2. Until you bring your tree indoors, store it in an unheated basement or garage or an area that is sheltered from the sun, wind and freezing temperatures.

3. Keep the soil consistently moist during the tree's stay indoors.

4. Keep the root ball secure. Do not unwrap the root ball or remove the tree from its container. If the tree has been secured with plastic straps, they may be safely removed.

5. Carefully decorate the tree only using lightweight ornaments and lights that do not emit any heat.

6. Don't keep the tree indoors any longer than necessary. Most experts recommend that living trees be planted outdoors after 8 to 10 days.

7. Allow the tree to transition back to outdoor temperatures and light by moving it to a cold garage or basement for a few days before planting it outside.

8. To reduce transplanting time, try to pre dig the hole before you remove the tree from its container. Use dirt dug from the hole as backfill and mulch heavily over the top of the planted root ball to prevent it from freezing.

9. If necessary, protect the tree from damaging winter winds by anchoring it with stakes for the first season.

Important Safety Tips

1. Don't burn pine boughs in your fireplace or woodstove. They can cause creosote buildup quickly in your chimney.

2. Shut off Christmas tree lights before going to bed at night and when leaving the house.

3. Hang fragile and breakable ornaments on higher branches out of the way of pets and children.

4. Do not leave pets home unsupervised with the Christmas tree. If necessary, crate them or keep them in a separate room while no one is home.

5. Avoid artificial snow and sprays, which can be a lung irritant when inhaled.

By Ellen Brown

Christmas Tree Care

Here are some very simple ways to keep your Christmas tree green and thriving through the Christmas season. Many of us are lucky enough to live in an area where you can actually buy a Christmas Tree permit and go and cut our own trees. But many of us just prefer to go to the Christmas Tree Lot and buy a tree. Either way you really need to know how to care for your tree when you get it home. Here are 7 easy tricks to care for your tree and make this the best Christmas ever.

1. Don't buy a tree that is losing green needles, or has dry, brittle twigs or a sour, moldy smell. Your tree should look and smell fresh. When buying your tree it is important to check that it is healthy by shaking it to check for excessive needle loss. When you bring your tree home if you don't plan to put the tree up right away, cut one inch off of the base, put the tree in a bucket of water and stand it in a shady place like your garage or under the eve of the house. Keep out of the sunlight, fresh trees can rapidly dry out .
2. When you are ready to bring the tree indoors, cut 1/2 to one inch off of the base of the trunk make sure that you make your cut straight across and don't allow the new cut to get dirty as this will make it more difficult for the tree to absorb water. Use a stand that fits your tree. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed. Make sure that you have a "fresh" tree stand that holds at least one gallon of water. As a general rule, stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter.
3. It is very important that you do not place the tree near a fireplace, heater vents or other heat sources. This will dry out your tree and can be very dangerous. Dried out trees can catch fire very easily. Always inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree. If worn, replace with a new set. Do not overload electrical circuits.
4. Always turn off the tree lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.
5. It is very important that you always keep the tree well-supplied with water. Check the water level in the stand several times each day. Keep milk jugs filled with water near the base of your tree for easy watering access. Trees may need to be watered several times a day and may use several quarts of water a day. Never let the water level fall below the base of the tree. If this happens remove tree from stand and make a fresh cut to the base of the tree.
6. Adding aspirin, soda water, bleach or sugar to the water in the tree stand is no more effective in keeping the tree fresh than adding plain water each day. Cold water - Do not use hot water in the stand; it is of no benefit.
7. Always keep an eye on your tree for freshness. After Christmas or if the tree is dry, remove it from the house. Keeping your house cool it will save on your utility bill and will also keep your tree from drying out.
8. Always recycle your tree. Do not burn your tree in your wood stove or fireplace unless you have taken it outside and chopped it up and let it dry out for at least one year to season the firewood. Pine and Spruce trees have lots of sap and this sap can cause chimney fires. Many places are open right after Christmas to recycle your tree, The recyclers usual put the trees through a chipper to make mulch. Here in Colorado you can take your tree to the city and they turn it into mulch for the trees and flowers in city parks.

By Debra Frick

Christmas Tree Treatment

This is a solution that will help your Christmas tree last longer!

Ingredients:

• 1 gal. water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. bleach

Directions:

This solution may be used to keep a Christmas tree in good health. Use whatever amount you need on your Christmas tree.

By Robin from Washington, IA