Roughly how much for a small real tree?

[mogs0]

I had been thinking I'd have a real Christmas tree this year and had an idea they wouldn't be cheap but I saw one in our local garden centre yesterday for £40 - it was about 3ft. Is that about right? There is a place not far from here that advertise trees for sale but I'd need to arrange a lift there so I wanted to check what kind of price to expect before going.

[LittleB]

Sounds expensive to me. We get a lovely one from our local nursey which is about £25 for a 5ft tree, thats a special type that retains needles for longer too, the basic ones are about £20 for 5ft. They will charge more if they are rooted though. Seems very early to be selling them now, we usually wait until the weekend before Christmas or they will start dropping needles.

[Decorhate]

That is expensive - I would expect to pay that for a large tree. Maybe it is one that is rooted rather than cut??

[girlywhirly]

Prices vary greatly on size, type of tree, whether cut or rooted. I think that £40 even for a cut non-drop variety at 5ft is a ridiculous price. Probably not for a potted, rooted tree though, because conifers are not generally cheap whatever their variety at 3ft tall.

Find a tree from somewhere that grows their own and cut them frequently. Never buy a tree that has been wedged into a block of wood as a stand, it will die quickly and be a waste of money. You need to be able to water a cut tree to keep it alive and hold on to it's needles, in the same way as you would a vase of flowers. I'd go halfway through December to get a tree.

Get a special water holding stand, or a big watertight tub with gravel which will hold the tree well and when filled with water as well gives a good heavy and steady base. Based on personal experience, half fill the tub with gravel, get someone to hold the tree centrally in the tub while you add the rest of the gravel. Do this where you want to situate the tree, as it will be heavy to carry. Then fill with water to the top of the gravel. Check water at least every 2 days and top up when necessary.

Before 'potting up' the tree, cut a section off the base of the trunk to open up the water channels so that it can drink. They self heal after they've been cut down, so once you've done this put it in water fairly soon. Position the tree away from direct heat sources, i.e. not next to a radiator. If you do all this, even a Norway spruce should last until Twelfth Night.

[ChippyMinton]

See if any local scout groups or schools will be selling trees, as the prices can be more reasonable.
eg nordman fir non-drop
5/6ft £31
6/7ft £35
7/8ft £45

[SuePurblybiltByElves]

I paid about £30 last year for a blue one. Lovely it was, still looked fab a month later.

[mogs0]

Thanks everyone! I thought I was going to have to get my knackered old fake one out of retirement . I wasn't planning on getting it until 2nd weekend of December so I'm hoping it'll last.

Excuse my lack of knowledge on the subject but what do you do with the potted one after Christmas? Does it live in its pot outside until next Christmas?

[EnnisDelMar]

Excellent post, Girlywhirly! Thankyou for the info.

I've been buying rooted ones for a couple of years and the prices are silly - 40 quid last year.

I planted it, it doesn't look too happy now though it lived till the autumn for some reason.

Might dig it out and try again. I think I'll get a cut one this year though.

[girlywhirly]

I think you can keep a potted tree going indefinitely if you keep putting it in a slightly larger pot each year and feed it with plant food. There will come a time when it just gets too big. There was a health problem with some conifers this year, don't know if it affected Christmas trees as well, but some of the conifers in our garden succumbed, they went brown and nearly died, some sort of systemic infection.

There is one problem with bringing potted trees in again a following Christmas, having been in your garden all year, insects tend to hibernate in the thicker foliage. I brought ours in one year, and loads of ladybirds woke up thinking it was Spring!

I forgot to say, when you choose a tree, make sure you see it with it's branches loose. The needles should be a good colour, and firm but flexible to touch. Give it a shake to see how fast the needles are, if loads drop off, the tree isn't very fresh. It is for this reason you get the tree 'netted' for transport home when you are satisfied with what you have chosen.

DH gets Gardening Which? and one year they had an article on types of trees and how to choose.

[MaryBS]

Our local market does a non-drop tree for about £10! Bargain!

[XboxWidow30]

We get ours from a local garden centre. It is cut and you go and choose it yourself before they net it. They are all in height sections.

We go for a 6 foot Nordman Fir usually and it varies each year but usually between £25 and £28 for a 6 foot one.

Hope that helps.

[NordicPrincess]

I work at a garden centre, not one like b&q but an independent one. A 3ft should cost about £30.

Standard fir trees could be cheaper but for a Nordman Spruce (id recommend it) it would be about 30. Nordman sprunces have thick leaves that are dark green with a sliver underside,They dont drop their needles and have a lovely scent.

If you live near Reading il give you a discount ;)

[XboxWidow30]

Oooh I live near Reading, lol! We usually go to Longacres in Bagshot for ours.

[NordicPrincess]

Really? There are some other ones along the bath road on the way towards maidenhead-youl find me at one of those!! :)

[XboxWidow30]

Thats good to know NordicPrincess, thanks.