While artificial trees are becoming more and more popular each Christmas, nothing signifies the holidays to me more than a fresh cut Christmas tree in my living room. Though setting up a real tree usually requires a little more effort than pulling an artificial tree out of the box, but the unique look, the smell and the challenge of taking care of a fresh cut Christmas tree is all part of the fun of the season.
Here are some tips and tricks for picking the right fresh tree and making sure it lasts throughout your entire Christmas and New Year holiday.
Checklist of things to Bring When Picking A Fresh Tree
- Large beach towel or sheet to protect the roof of your car.
- Tape measure (for height and trunk width).
- Twine or rope to down your tree for transportation.
- Knife, cutters for twine and small branches.
- Gloves, old clothes.
Choosing A Live Fresh Tree
There are two really different ways you can get a fresh tree for your home. You can either travel to a Christmas Tree farm and pick and cut your own tree (or have someone cut it for you) or you can pick up a tree that’s been cut from a tree farm (usually from Canada or the Northern US) and then shipped down to a large retailer or volunteer organization such as a firehouse or a church. Before you set up a live tree in your home you have to be sure you’re picking out the right tree for you. Here are some things to remember when you’re looking for a fresh tree.
- Fresh cut vs pre-cut: A Christmas tree which you cut down from a farm is obviously going to be much fresher and probably last much longer. A pre-cut tree from a store could have been cut down a week or two before coming to your location.
- What type of tree to get: Having some idea of what kind of Christmas tree you’re looking for can help narrow your selection at a large farm or tree shop. I have kids, so I tend to like the Balsam and Frasier Firs because they have much softer needles than true Pine or Spruce trees.
- Protect your hands: Wear work gloves (and an old coat if you can) when you go out to pick your tree. The sap (pitch) from evergreens can be especially sticky and messy and pine needles can prick the hands.
- How to cut the tree down: If you are cutting your own tree then be sure to use a hack saw with a sharp blade or a small chainsaw that’s designed to cut through trunks that are 5 or 6 inches wide. Cut as straight across the trunk as possible. Don’t cut a V shape or use any angles when cutting down a Christmas tree. Don’t try to use a hatchet or axe in the sort of tight space you’ll find under most pine and fir trees.
- Inspect it from all sides: Don’t just look at your tree from one angle, walk all the way around it to make sure there are no large holes or damage. Even if you plan to hide the “bad part” of the tree in the corner or along a wall your plan may have to change when you get it home due to a tilted trunk or broken branch.
- Pick a tree that’s the right size: Be sure to choose a tree that will fit in your home! Measure your room from floor to ceiling I subtract one or two feet from the measurement to allow for a tree topper and some height for the tree stand. We have eight foot ceilings in our living room and we usually go for a tree no more than 7 feet high. You’ll also want to check your tree stand for the maximum trunk circumference allowed and not get a tree with a trunk any thicker than that.
- Check the odor: Outside this may be difficult to tell, but Christmas trees should have a slight pine smell and to be too pungent or overpowering. The odor should be subtle. In the closed and warmer interior of your home the smell will be much more noticeable.
- Tree netting: If you are buying a cut tree from retailer don’t even think about choosing a tree that’s wrapped with a net. Demand to see what the tree looks like unwrapped and give it a few minutes to begin to unfold.
- Loose needles: When you’re choosing a tree run your hands up and down the branches a few times. If you can pick up the tree and “tap” it on the ground a few times. Some needle loss is expected, but if large piles of brown needles fall out you may want to avoid that tree.
- Look for things living in your tree: Carefully inspect any live tree for any sign of animals or insects. Mice, spiders, beetles and other little critters love to set up their home in the dark, fresh branches of cut (or living) pine trees.
- Preparing your tree for the ride home: After cutting and purchasing a tree most tree farms and retail stores will wrap it with plastic mesh these days. If your particular retailer doesn’t offer this service you can still wrap you tree by tying one end of a strong cord to one of the bottom branches and then rolling your tree on the ground, gently pulling the cord tight. As long as your branches are all being pulled up and closer to your trunk your tree should do well when transporting it.
- Protect your car: Bringing a fresh cut tree home can be a challenge if you don’t have a truck. First, remember to cover the roof of your car with an old sheet or cloth tarp. Tree branches can scratch car paint and tree sap can definitely ruin a finish.
- Carrying a tree on a car’s roof: When bringing a tree home on your car’s roof remember to tie your tree down tightly with strong cords and to position the tree so that the bottom (cut trunk) is pointing towards the front of your car. There’s less air resistance this way, especially if your tree is wrapped with mesh.
- Keep the stump damp: If you have a long ride home you may want to bring cover the end of the trunk with some damp newspapers and wrap the whole bottom in a plastic bag, similar to what florists do for cut flowers. This will help keep the bottom of that trunk from drying out while you’re driving home.
Our fresh cut Christmas tree. The tree stand has a tree removal bag and tree tray beneath it to protect our wood floors.
Setting Up A Fresh Cut Tree Video Slideshow
Setting Up and Caring For a Fresh Cut Christmas Tree
Getting your tree home is only the first step. Next you’ll want to prep your home and set up your tree, usually within a day or two of purchasing it. The most important aspect of having a fresh tree in your house is making sure it receives plenty of water and moisture. Here are some ways to keep your tree fresh and green for the next few weeks.
- Cut off the end: Sometimes this is done when you buy a tree, but when I get home I usually cut off a half inch slice or so from the bottom of the tree trunk and mark it with the year. We save our slices and use them as Christmas decorations, but more importantly, exposing the fresh end of the trunk will help your tree absorb water.
- Put your tree in water: After bringing your tree home you’ll want to put it in a bucket of water right away. Don’t remove the mesh yet. Simply fill a large bucket with water and be sure your trunk is submerged by at least 3 or 4 inches.
- Helping your tree absorb water: To help with water absorption some people recommend drilling holes in the bottom of the trunk or around the outside edges of the trunk, but most of those tricks are probably unnecessary. Trees bring in most of their water through their bark, so anything you can do to minimize the damage to that outer ring around the tree trunk is probably a good thing.
- Prepare your tree for going indoors: Most experts recommend gradually preparing your tree before bringing it indoors. You can keep your tree in a bucket of water in the garage or on a porch for a day or so before setting it up in your home. This also gives those little critters you may have missed one last chance to leave before you bring them indoors.
There are lots of unique and innovative Christmas tree stands
available online.
- Put the stand on outside: Are you ready to bring your tree inside? Take it out of the bucket of water and lay it on its side. While it’s like this you can attach your stand to the trunk. Be sure the stand is tightened enough to stay on the tree while you move it, but not so tight that you can’t quickly loosen it for adjustments. When you bring it inside you’ll still most likely have to straighten it, but having the stand already on the tree makes it much easier to bring inside and setup.
- Christmas tree mats and trays: You should prep your home for a fresh Christmas tree by putting down a tree mat or tray. This protects your floors against accidental water spills. Your floor covering can be easily hidden with a decorative tree skirt. There are lots of different Christmas tree stand mats and trays
- Use a Christmas tree bag for easy removal: If you hate cleaning up pine needles at the end of the holiday season you may want to try placing down a Christmas tree removal bag
- Your Christmas tree stand: There are hundreds of unique and innovative Christmas tree stands
- Fitting your tree in the tree stand: Don’t “shave down” your tree trunk to fit your stand. If you tree’s trunk is too thick then try to avoid cutting or whittle down the bottom to fit in the stand. No only will your stand by unstable but your tree will not be able to absorb water nearly as well as it should because it needs that bark. If your tree is really too big for your stand then you’re unfortunately better off buying a new, larger stand.
- Keep it cool: Plan to place your tree in a relatively cool part of your home, avoiding bright sunlight, heat from a fireplace and direct air from a heating duct if you can. Anything that warms your home will also dry out your tree, causing it turn brown and lose needles quicker.
- Keep it wet: Keep your tree’s trunk constantly submerged in water at all times! If you have a difficult time checking the water level of your tree on a regular basis then you may want to pick up a Christmas tree watering device to keep your tree green and healthy. On a budget? You can with some PVC pipe.
- Your tree’s water usage: It’s not your imagination: a fresh cut tree will take in more water when it’s first brought into your home and then it will slowly need less and less. The rule of thumb with Christmas trees and water is that your tree will need about 1 quart of water per day for each inch diameter of trunk. So if your tree has a 4 inch thick trunk it will initially need about a gallon (4 quarts) of water per day.
- Secure your tree: This is optional, but if you have small children or house pets who can’t resist pulling or playing with your Christmas tree then you may want to consider securing your tree in ways other than using a simple tree stand. Many people use thin cables to tie their trees to the wall (be sure to attach it to a stud in the wall) or other solid structure. Yes, this requires extra effort but it’s probably less work than taking someone to the hospital and cleaning up a toppled decorated Christmas tree.
- Tree preservatives: Still having a difficult time watering the tree? You can try using these some of these Christmas tree preservation chemicals
- Christmas light types: Your light choice will affect how much water your tree needs to stay moist. Larger incandescent lights will burn much hotter and therefore dry your tree out quicker. Smaller bulbs and LED Christmas lights will keep your tree cooler. I wouldn’t run out and buy LED Christmas lights for just that reason though. If you do the math you’ll find that LED Christmas lights are more expensive than regular lights in the short run.
- Using Christmas lights: No matter what lights you choose to use on your tree, remember to turn them off when you go to sleep or leave your home. Wrapping a dry tree in hundreds of feet of electrical cords that could spark unexpectedly is just an accident waiting to happen if you aren’t careful. Remember to inspect all your light strings and cords each year for any signs of damage or wear and replace them if you are unsure of how safe they are.
- Christmas light remotes: Instead of climbing behind your tree and plugging in and unplugging your lights multiple times a day you can invest in a wireless Christmas light remote
For many people the holidays aren’t complete without putting up a fresh Christmas tree in their home. There is a fair amount of work involved with a cut Christmas tree, but the uniqueness of each tree, the experience of caring for something so beautiful and the nostalgic feelings of having a Christmas tree in your home make most people forget all about the effort involved.
