With some care, Real Christmas trees can last up to 3-4 weeks before drying out. Follow our tips to keep your cut Christmas tree alive and fresh in December.
1. Buy a tree freshly cut from the farm
Nothing beats a Christmas tree freshly cut from the farm. Just like produce in the supermarket, you want to find quality that is fresh from the paddock.
At Merlino’s, our real Christmas trees are cut from our farm at sunrise and transported directly to our Sydney warehouse.
Often our customers can feel the cold morning frost when holding our trees that have been freshly delivered in the morning.
2. Recut the trunk to remove the sap
When your Christmas trees is first cut at the farm, sap will form around the base of the trunk within hours to protect and seal the cut. The sap prevents the tree from absorbing water and staying alive.
It is important to cut 1-2 cm’s from the trunk to remove the sap before setting up your tree.
After purchasing a real Christmas tree at Merlino’s Christmas trees, our friendly staff will recut the trunk to remove the sap.
3. Put the tree in water as soon as possible
We recommend setting up your tree as soon as you can after purchasing. Use a Christmas tree stand with a built in and generously sized reservoir will help to keep the trunk submerged in water.
If you plan to set the tree up later on, then leave the tree standing in bucket of water in a cool place. We also recommend hosing down the tree from the top down along the trunk to give it a good soaking.
Water is by far the most important thing to keep your tree fresh and alive.
4. Keep the stand topped up with water & try some additive You may be surprised how much water a Christmas tree can soak up.
Check the stand’s water level daily and top up with water. If left unattended and without water, the trunk of your Christmas tree will seal itself again with sap, preventing further absorption of water.
We also recommend using a Christmas tree preservative as an additive to deliver additional nutrients to the tree.
You will need to check the water level of your stand daily and keep the trunk submerged in water.
5. Set up the tree in a cool location, out of direct sunlight
If your tree is close to a heat source it can very quickly dry out. Keep your tree away from heat sources. It will help if you can lower the temperature of the room and use smaller lights on the tree.
Additionally, some Christmas tree lights can be very hot and. Please take precaution to ensure they do not become a cause of fire hazard by switching off your Christmas lights when you’re not around to monitor the tree.
Keep the tree away from sources of direct sunlight and heat such as windows, skylights, furnaces, televisions and electrical devices