To ask how long a real Christmas tree lasts?

[Qpobb]

Posting here for the poll.

My DP is itching to get our tree this weekend, as we are both feeling a bit down in the dumps and he wants to cheer us both up. However we don't usually get our tree until mid December, and I really want it to last until the first week of January!

For those with real trees, how long has yours lasted in the past?

YABU - Less than 5 weeks.
YANBU - 5 weeks or more.

Thank you

Depends on the type - we buy a long lasting one, keep it watered and it lasts months. They are more expensive though, but we put ours in the garden on January 6th and it still normally looks immaculate mid March! £50 though!

Depends on the tree and how well you look after it surely.

@Hollyhead We are happy to spend more money for one that is long lasting, and usually do! But we've always had it up between 10th Dec and 5th Jan so not sure whether it does last!

I spray the branches with water every day and it's not near a radiator. Sorry if this is all a bit "now long is a piece of string" but a ballpark idea would be great! 😊

It depends what type you get, how hot your house is, whether you remember to water it, and whether it will get knocked every time someone walks past.

Unless you're buying one fresh from the field then you'll find the vast majority of trees have already been cut so doesn't really matter whether you buy it this weekend or in two weeks time.

We don't normally put ours up until the weekend before Christmas, and by 12th night it looks very sorry. Getting it out if the house is a nightmare as it drops needles everywhere.

@Sunseed That's an excellent point!

I guess it might help op if people
Could say what type they think lasts longest?

We always get an IKEA tree (so not an expensive one) and we have a stand you add water too which we keep topped up and give it the odd bottle of lemonade too. We chop the bottom off before putting it up too. It doesn't drop much and lasts through without a problem. We will be getting ours on Tuesday.

I think it also depends when it has been cut and how fresh it is. We usually get the non drop kind but last year went for the traditional pine as the smell is so nostalgic (and much cheaper). We got it from a local farm and it had only been cut the day before - it was up for a good 4 to 5 weeks and was still absolutely fine when we took in down in January.

@Seeline

We don't normally put ours up until the weekend before Christmas, and by 12th night it looks very sorry. Getting it out if the house is a nightmare as it drops needles everywhere.

Put a duvet cover over it to contain the needles and then shake it out in the garden. Saves finding needles until March!

Qpobb I think you’d struggle to have a real tree still looking good come Christmas if you buy one now unless you’re lucky or care for it really well. We get ours mid December, water it regularly and live in a pretty cold house and it’s crispy come new year.

I don't normally get mine until mid December but we think we will go get one this weekend. We get out form the local botanic garden and they last very well. I don't know the kind they have but they are the thicker pine branches rather than the thin ones.

We used to say that the tree we threw out on 6th January looked far healthier than many we had seen on sale in mid December, there was rarely any significant needle drop either. The tree came from a specialist farm, last year's was about £30 for a 4 1/2 foot tree, as near to a 'blue' as we could get! There really isn't a definitive answer though I would avoid anywhere where I couldn't see the tree unnetted.

@Sunseed

Unless you're buying one fresh from the field then you'll find the vast majority of trees have already been cut so doesn't really matter whether you buy it this weekend or in two weeks time.

Very true, I've already seen deliveries of cut trees being made! The farm we used cut them twice a week, never go on a Monday!

Thanks all for some splendidly helpful replies! I have asked for recommendations for local farms so it will hopefully as fresh as possible. I think we will take the plunge!

I get an 8-9ft one from a local farm every year. I try and get one that's still wet and has a strong smell. They cut the base off for me. I water it every day. For the first two weeks it drinks almost 2l of water a day but that diminishes over December. I get it usually right at the beginning of December but this year I'm getting it tomorrow. I tend not to have it after New Year's Eve so it suits me if it doesn't last much into January

I put up my tree on 6th December for a month, it stands in a container of water and is in our extension which is cool.
It comes from a local wood and usually looks as good when I take it down as when I put it up. Hydration and temperature are key.

I'm not sure as I'd never have one up for that long but we usually get rid after 3 - 4 weeks and always going strong. Not next to radiator and watered occasionally!
I do always feel horrible getting rid of it at the end. Family wont entertain an artificial one as also bad for environment.

If it’s a fresh, non-drop one, and you saw a bit off the bottom of the trunk (essential!) and keep it well watered, it should last pretty well.

We don’t usually put ours up until mid December but I’ve done it in the first week of December, since family were coming to stay, and it still looked fine when taken down on 6th January.

My tips:

Get a variety known for low needle drop
Chop an inch off the bottom before putting in stand
Invest in a quality stand that takes water, spraying branches won't do much.

Ours lasts from Dec 1st no problem like this, we spend £50-70 depending on where we buy.

We get ours from a local farm, we've chosen it already in the field and they chop it the morning we collect. The ones in B&Q have been chopped for weeks, so don't last as long.

Ours looks perfect when we get rid in January, always feels a bit sad when is still looks so good.

As others have said, you really need to buy it freshly cut from a farm if you want to get as long from it as possible. Then keep it in a holder with a water reservoir or a bucket. Christmas trees are very thirsty so it needs watering daily! Nordmann fir doesn’t lose its needles but I’m not sure it’s got any more longevity compared to other types.

Depends on the type, where you place it and if you water it.
We usually get a large Nordman fir, the first weekend of December and it sits in the bay window well away from radiator and fireplace. It gets watered once a week. It usually lasts with not too much needle drop until just after NY when we take it down

Yes I always get a Nordman and they last well - usually up around the 10th and down on the 2nd - watered every other day and away from heat they last well.
Putting ours up next Sat as it’s DD3’s birthday and she’s sad she can’t see her mates.
I did hear on the radio last week (no idea if it’s true) that all the trees on sale where cut around the same time so buying now or in two weeks makes no difference in terms of freshness.