Caring for Christmas Trees!

Tree Care Ultimately, what is desirable is ongoing confidence in consumer satisfaction with their natural tree at the distinct time of taking your tree down and removing from the home. The greatest failing grace to a natural tree is not ensuring a fresh cut of ¾ inch or more, and secondly a depleted water supply. A typical Canadian Christmas tree will drink between 1/4 - 4+ liters of water per day depending upon size, density and species. The better it is watered, the longer it will last and exude its wonderful aroma. Water has all the nutrients required for your tree as long as it gets enough of it. All the family traditions of adding sugar, 7-Up, headache pills or other ingredients to your tree may be fun for the kids but are not required.

A real Christmas tree fills your home with the sense of the holidays.

A few instructions ensure a rewarding experience with a natural tree incredible bouquet in your home.

You will find downloadable Christmas tree care instructions on this PDF form.

I've been on the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association's committee which is looking into ways of preserving trees longer. What is very apparent is that natural trees come into homes, are placed in a stand, watered and decorated. These natural trees have now thawed, and have started to draw water upwards and require replenishment of moisture levels throughout the tree, including all the furthest extremities. In turn the tree is siphoning water upwards; if this action stops and an air pocket develops during the display season, this suction prime is often lost and the trees begins to dry back.

MAKE A FRESH CUT: the first fill should be with very warm water enabling the sap to flow readily.

WATER DAILY: my personal experience has proven to me that our own maximum density tree which brushes up against our eight-foot ceiling, more often than not draws 4 liters in the first 12-36 hours, and a further 4 liters a day for several days to come. We typically have our tree up for 23 days and the larger of these trees often consumes 50 - 60 plus liters of untreated water during this time frame. Trees well taken care of will, upon occasion, begin to break bud. If all trees were taken care of in this manner, natural tree sales would be greater. The main point I would like to convey is that it is critically important that the freshly-cut base of the tree is constantly in water and that the stand should be capable of holding at least 4 liters plus the trunk of the tree!!! If your tree runs out of water, it will begin to draw air which compounds an additional problem by sealing themselves off within hours.

* All trees leaving your lot would benefit from a fresh cut and letting your customers know about these care instructions.

Your Christmas tree stand Selecting the right tree stand ensures your tree will get enough water while in your home. A larger, full tree can consume in excess of 4 liters per day. Keep in mind that the base of the tree is in the tree stand thus reducing the amount of water that may be put into the reservoir. You do not want your tree to begin drawing air, thus greatly reducing it's ability to continue to replenish it moisture requirements.

When setting up their tree, suggest to your customers that they tuck a removal bag between the tree stand and the tree skirt. When they taking the tree down, simply slip the bag up and over your tree, remove to the outdoors, tree stand and all. Once outside tear open the bottom of the bag and remove your tree stand. This prevents the shedding of needles incase the tree was inadequately watered over the holidays. Thus the reason why we suggest one of our tree stands above.

Tree Moving Bags are ideal for slipping over trees prior to moving trees in and out of carpeted areas.

TREE PLACEMENT & HEAT SOURCES Keep your tree away from all sources of heat, including fireplaces and redirected air vents. Do not overload the tree with high-wattage lights. Turn lights off while away from the home or when you retire for the night.

RECYCLING: This natural product has a lot of carbon locked up in it and this is a very favorable considering the entire Kyoto protocol objectives we keep hearing about in the media.

Christmas trees have many uses later in life as a chipped mulch along the pathways, or as a suppressor of unwanted vegetation along your walking paths (in your garden or the trees you may have planted recently). Utilized as a mulch, this chipped tree will assist in conserving moisture by shading the ground above it. Try placing your hand under a similar placement of mulch during dry weather and you will readily see and feel this to be true. On another hand, you may want to cut the tree for firewood, or utilize it chopped up to add to your compost heap.

Check your Parks and Recreation department for Christmas tree removal and recycling measures.