Real Christmas Trees

[Bleurghhh]

We are thinking of getting a real one this year for the first time.

If I get one this weekend, will it look half dead by Christmas?

This is the convo I was having with my work colleague last night
He seems to think yes , so I'm goingo leave it one more week before I buy it

I would expect it to be dead yes unless you keep it outside for a bit. I find that if we buy it around the tenth it lasts but might be a little bit droopy by New Years. But you don't notice with all the decorations. If we wait until the 15th then it's good all season but I feel sad throwing it out as it has a few more days of looking good left in it!!

It's a dilemma!

I think it will, even if you add water to the container regularly. Centrally heated houses & real Christmas trees don't mix very well, even if you get a tree that doesn't drop needles.

We always get ours in mid-December, but it stays outside & only goes up a week before Christmas. By 6th January when it comes down it's looking quite manky.

Ours lasts really well, I do water it every day and turn the radiator behind off completely. Buying tomorrow.

I have bought a real tree the last two years, at the start of December and its lasted fine, in fact last years was up on 30th November and was still going strong 4th Jan.

I think it depends massively on where you get it from and the quality.

I turn the radiator right down nearest to it and check water morning and night.

Oh, we bought a stand but I don't think it has a water container. Just looking at the stand, is the container just the bit the trunk goes in? It looks like cast iron..

We have a real tree and ours won't be going up until next weekend, I think 3 weeks would be stretching it a little for it still to look good. I guess it does depend how warm you keep your house as well, if you have a cool house and keep it well watered you may be ok.

Assuming it's been cut down, it's already dead so treat like cut flowers. Remove some of the stem, don't injure the bark, keep away from direct heat and provide water.
People say wait until later, but you have no idea how long ago it was harvested, could have been hanging around in a barn somewhere for ages.

I got a real one from IKEA last year - I think their turnover is so quick that the trees are fairly fresh, so it lasted well into Jan.

I bought one last weekend (IKEA too) as I can't be arsed with the queuing closer to Christmas. It is outside my back door in a bucket of water, and I'll put it up this weekend in the hall, with the radiator turned off.

I was going to get a stand with a reservoir of water but DP had 4 of those in work last year and reckoned they did little or nothing to prolong the life of the trees, so I'll go with my old corkscrew stand (I'll have to saw the remains of last year's trunk off it first though...)

This is the type of stand I have

www.charliesdirect.co.uk/cinco-8-advantage-christmas-tree-stand?gclid=CIO-1f2h0dACFQcQ0wodrBgLZA

Not this exact one, but the bucket type base with the screws to keep it upright.

Takes loads of water, and my trees certainly drink Lots! Check it morning and night, at least once a day it needs a jug or so

Get one from a tree farm! They're cut mid-late November and last right through to 6th January. If you buy from a supermarket etc they'll have been cut in October to send down on trucks, so will be longer without water and die sooner.
Also, adding lemonade to the water helps if you can't buy from a farm.

mine is from a farm - that must be the key!

I'll be waiting until around 16-17 Dec. I have a stand that you add water to which I find works really well, I top it up most days.

Don't get a Norway spruce (traditional Christmas tree) they drop like billy-o. Get a nordman fir or a noble fir and it will look good all the way through til new year. Slightly different in appearance though. I prefer the bushy look of Norway spruce, but the non drop aspect of the others wins!

I'm getting mine tomorrow. I have a water bucket jug thing that makes the tri-daily watering easier. Oh, and my house is freezing. The heating is on full blast but my sittingroom is still only 15 degrees. Silver lining, heh?

Real Xmas trees smell amazing 🎄

I was chatting about the exact same thing earlier. It's my yearly dilemma! I was chatting to the guy at the place I always get our tree, and he said all the trees have already been cut, and are in a warehouse, so it makes no difference when you buy it. They also sell out quickly too, so I was going to buy on over the next few days, store it in my yard and then put it up next week.

I'm doing the same as pickled. Buying this weekend, keeping outside in water for a week and putting up then.

I am jealous of people with farms near them . I get mine from the garden centre, not sure how that ranks on the freshness scale.

Definitely agree with Sophie we got our first real tree last year, a 6ft Nordman Fir. It cost us 9.99 + Vat from a local store so we were very dubious especially as we bought it on 1st December but it still looked like new by the time it came down (and we weren't great at remembering to water it either!)

We have a stand like MrDarcy's and agree that checking every day and topping up the water is essential as is turning off the radiator if it is immediately behind the tree.

I am trying to saw the bottom off with a tiny hand saw. And failing. Do you think it would be ok if I just criss-crossed it? My hand hurts.

I haven't had one so far as our fake one looks really good but I fancy one this year. Has anyone bought one from Homebase? They deliver and I'd need that as I don't think one would fit in our car otherwise.

Home base bought from there one year never again ...looked awful by new year - which is my h's Christmas in his culture - but I bought one from the farm the following year and i felt bad putting it outside!

DH is going to get ours on Saturday from a local farm where they cut it down after he chooses it then we put it straight in water with the radiator turned off next to it

Last year it was still good on 6th Jan