Caring for your Real Christmas Tree

With our real Christmas trees arriving in Fron Goch from the 1st December we though it would be helpful to provide some hints and tips on how to maintain & get the most out of your tree this Christmas.  

Of course our experts are always on hand to give you some guidance and help should you need it.

Caring for your Christmas Tree

When buying a Christmas tree it is always best to choose a locally sourced and grown tree, or one that has at least been grown in the UK rather than abroad. 

When displaying trees indoors, avoid placing them too close to a fire or radiator, as this will cause excessive moisture loss and needle drop.

Cut Trees

• When you get the tree home, saw 2.5cm (1in) off the bottom with a pruning saw
• Place in a stand with a well of water in the base
• Check daily and top up the water when the level drops
• With care, cut trees should last about four weeks

Trees in Pots

• To reduce stress and damage to living trees, display them in a cool room
• Bring trees indoors as late as possible – the weekend before Christmas is ideal
• Do not keep living trees in the house any longer than 12 days, but be guided by the tree. If it looks unhappy, put it back outside

Either plant the tree out in the garden after Christmas, or (if you want to bring it indoors again next year) grow it on in a container, moving it into a bigger pot annually until you reach the maximum size that can be moved comfortably (about 45cm (18in) diameter and depth). Feel free to pop over and ask our experts, for some advice on this.

Pruning & Training

Christmas trees need very little training when grown outdoors. Aim to maintain an attractive shape, removing any shoots that spoil the silhouette or any strong upright branches that compete with the leading stem. Prune away any dead, diseased or dying branches.

Christmas trees planted in pots will be limited in their size by the constraints of the pot. But if planted out in the garden, Christmas trees can get very large, reaching a height of about 15-20m (50-65ft) in twenty years, and possible eventual heights of about 40m (130ft). The smallest growing Christmas trees are probably Fraser firs, which reach about 7m (23ft) after twenty years, attaining an eventual height of about 20m (65ft), and Korean firs, which reach 4m (13ft) in twenty years and an eventual height of 10m (33ft).

Christmas trees are generally problem-free indoors, but will lose their needles quickly if placed too close to a source of heat, or if water dries up in the well of the stand.

Christmas trees grown on in pots may only live for a few years, as they are not naturally suited to ongoing pot cultivation.

Pop in and see us any time if you would like some advise or help with your tree!