How long do real trees last?

[OuiOuiMonAmi]

DD is desperate for a real Xmas tree this year but she also likes the tree up for the whole of December - they won't last that long, will they?

Also are all the ones that don't drop needles really expensive? I did have a Google but there are so many varieties, it's all a bit confusing...

Try this article for basic advice, Google is your friend (sorry for a Telegraph link!)
www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/how-to-grow/what-is-the-best-real-christmas-tree/
The main choice is between Norway spruce and Nordman fir. We tend to buy a spruce it smells more Christmassy. Can be a bit dense for decorating and very very prickly. Put it in a stand with water, ours lasts from about mid-December to just after new year but will start dropping quite a lot of needles by then. Don't put it near a radiator etc (our mistake in the first year! One side was nearly bare where we brushed against it.)
The Fir has softer branches and needles, it did also drop them, but maybe a bit less? Has a more 'open' growth, and needles are a lot less spiky.
How long they last depends on many factors, so is hard to say.

Ours lasts around 3 1/2 weeks, it's always a Nordman as you can't get anything else around here. Just keep it well watered

We put a real tree up on Dec 1st and it lasts well. Don't have it in a log base, get them to saw off the bottom couple of inches of the trunk and put in in water. Top up the water daily. It's surprising how much they drink!

We get ours from a place that grows them, they have information about the different varieties and are priced by type and height. Got a ceiling-high one on the first day of the Christmas hols (around the 16th iirc) and was still going strong when we took it down in early January (then lasted about three weeks in the back garden)

I bought one from JFT (wholesale/warehouse type shop) for £12 the first week of Dec and it lasted through Christmas in the house then until March in the garden.... I watered it every other day and it didn't drop a lot of needles

We put ours up on the first weekend of Dec and take it down in January. We don’t buy any special type of tree, just a big standard £25 tree from the garden centre. And controversially we don’t water it either. It doesn’t drop needles and it looks great till the very end.

The trees sold here have kind of got a circular wooden bottom. I guess they get added on?
How would you get it to stand up in water without a base on it?
Sorry for the stupid question. I’ve never had a real one because I’ve never understood how to keep it in water and I also like to put it up early.

Pooh watching with interest, never had a real tree!

You buy a base which props the tree up, but which has a well to put water in

We put ours up about a week before Christmas & by the time it comes down on 6th January the needles are starting to drop. And that's even with keeping it well watered.

We put ours in a stand similar to this one and water it regukarly. We generally buy the tree the second weekend in December, stick it in a bucket of water in the garage, and don't bring it in until 21st. It lasts until 5th January. We just get a bog standard Norway spruce.

www.homebase.co.uk/metal-christmas-tree-stand-green-4-inch_p120163

We have one of these. It's very sturdy and easy to use. I'm not sure what varieties we've had, but we always make sure to keep them watered and our house isn't generally very hot, and the tree lasts about a month. They've really only shed badly when we forgot to water them.

Always have a real tree-
put up around Dec 1 and take down on 12th Night.

Fresh cut of trunk and lots and lots of water in the stand on the first couple of days-then just top up as needed. You don't want it to run dry or trunk then seals and stops taking on water.

@Imustbemad00 usually you can buy a tree stand where you buy the trees.

Don't put by radiator either as the heat dries out tree

Another tip I've seen is to give your tree a good long drink to start with. When you get it home, put it in a good, big bucket of water somewhere cool e.g. a garage or shed, and leave overnight before bringing it in.

Meh - post with Ceara.

Eh?

Oops - should say 'x-post'.

I don't like real trees. I feel sorry for them when they get thrown out in the new year ! If they sold them as a plant with the roots - then i wouldn't mind, but just cutting them down for xmas makes me thing it is a waste of a real tree !

They last for ages. We keep ours up for a full month and it is fresh when we take it down. Saw of a few inches, then drill a hole in the centre of the trunk at the bottom, just a few inches deep. Water every day and it'll last.

Mmmh, I'd say it depends on your room. We bought a high quality tree early Dec a couple of years ago, kept up with watering and it was drooping by Christmas.

Our front room is quite small and has both a radiator and an open gas fire. I don't think those hot conditions would have helped it!

I do love real Christmas trees but can't. W bothered with the faff while my son is little and he wants the tree up earlier!

Dh saws a bit off the bottom of ours (usually a Nordmann fir or another non drop kind) then it goes in a large bucket of wet gravel, topped up with water every day or two. (I put red foil paper round the bucket.)
Always lasts well, though it does help to make sure the tree is really fresh to start with.

If you get one straight from the grower it lasts longer. Ours have gone up o