Real Christmas tree

[aLittleL1fe]

Never bought a real christmas tree and wonder how people transport them home. Is it feasible to carry a tree as a 2-person job? Assuming fit people ;) and a 12min walking distance to Aldi.

Other questions:

• where to buy the stand for a real christmas tree?
• will it die real fast in a room with a wood burner (at a safe distance) and 21C temp?

Thank you!

They pop it in a netting wrapper, which keeps the branches tight against the stalk (?). The place we go to you pick one and then they come and saw it down, there are also holders to buy.

On the longevity - depends when you buy it but no 21 isn’t too hot at all! Nordmann fir trees keep their needles longest.

Yes, two can carry it. It will be resolved in netting. You can usually buy a stand for a couple of quid.

Stands are sold either where you buy the tree, online or at a diy store like B&Q. Walking 12 min no issue unless you are getting a huge tree! Make sure you see it with netting off, give it a shake to see how the needles drop, and buy a stand with a water reservoir.
Some species of trees are more prickly than others. The sap is not good for animals but is sweet so make sure any pets can't drink from the stand.

Thank you

I'm hoping for a £15 bargain from aldi so I won't be able to check the looks under the net in advance but happy to gamble for that price! Last year people said it was worth it and trees were good. Don't think aldi sells stands so will need another trip to buy a stand separately, and also a saw to chop it into pieces afterwards

If you want your tree to survive a long time, buy one that has been grown in a pot and water it daily. They need a lot of water. If you want, after Christmas you can put the tree in your garden and look after it to re-use the following year. We've had the same tree for 10 years now!

Also should add I buy my tree first weekend in December and it's good until twelfth night if kept watered. If possible try to get local grown. Potted trees are not usually grown in the pot - they are pulled up with small root balls so are generally not suitable for planting out after Christmas but some people manage it.

Traditional here to ram the tree in a car full of dc!!

Very interesting idea about a potted tree but I don't have a garden, it's a small paved backyard so probably not worth it.

@Pumpkinsonparade haha is it a range rover

Mazda Biante..
Waay too conventional tying it to the roof!!

Ah well that's where I'm going wrong! Need a minivan before I invest in a Christmas tree

Alternatively wrap in old sheet place on roof. . Use bungee straps over the roof and through the open window. All good.

I put mine in my Fiat 500!

@ShowOfHands is it then sticking out of the boot or do you buy a small tree?

I buy a 6ft tree and no it doesn't stick out the boot!

Cut/saw a thin slice off the bottom as soon as you get it - a small hacksaw from B&Q will do - and stand it in a bucket of water. Put a container that will hold water inside the pot you're going to use, wedge it and have the tree in that, or use a special tree pot.Top up daily.

It's a bit of a faff to set up but worth it for a tree that stays fresh.

We have a Cinco stand, available from Amazon and plenty of other places.

It holds the tree firm and upright and has a big reservoir which you should keep topped up with water. It works very well and the tree stays fresh for weeks.

However, we have now bought a fake but wonderful tree from Christmas Tree World, so Cinco is redundant.

Wear thick or gardening gloves.

Aldi is selling a stand, maybe from Thursday?

www.aldi.co.uk/christmas-tree-stand/p/711892552408900

If you buy one a bit too early just leave it outside in the cool until you are ready to bring it in.

Some years I’m good at watering and some not so. It’s usually very dry by after Christmas but we will have really enjoyed it as the main decoration.

Yes two people can carry. And I quite like the jeopardy of blind buying a netted tree! If it’s a bit wonky just twirl it about until it’s best side is showing.

Wish I could get away with quick supermarket purchase. The teens and young adults get sad if we don’t go to the forest where we went when they were small. Eldest DC said the other day, “ but the trees are grown in the forest where we buy them aren’t they...? It felt like a tooth fairy isn’t real conversation

I bought a 5ft real tree from Aldi last year, could not see what it was like as they are all netted, checked the bottom of the tree so there was enough to go into the stand took a chance at that price. The stand is a crumpler which holds water had it a long time and expensive but they are fantastic. tree went in the (small) car.

The tree was £14.99 bought on the 27th Nov, came down 12th night. I can honestly say it was the best real tree I have ever bought and I usually buy from a local nursery who wanted £50 for the same. Hardly any loss of needles and its being cut and dried out all year for the fire so nothing wasted.

oh and it was in the kitchen, so warm!

We have nordmann trees in a room with a wood burner and they’re fine. The tree sits maybe 8’ away from the fire. Chop the bottom few inches off the trunk and keep it in water, our stand has a small reservoir.

I bought a real tree last year for the kitchen as home bargains were selling them for £10. I got a stand from b&m.

Just a word of warning though, get a stand where you can actually see the water level, as the one I got once the trunk was in didn’t leave much room for the water also I couldn’t see into it to make sure I was filling it enough.

The needle drop after a week was ridiculous, it was bald on the front!
it was clearly not going to last until Christmas. So relegated it to the garden in a bucket of water, & took the stand back and got my artificial tree out of the loft, which was a shame as the tree was lovely!

I knew it was the stand that was the problem, as the rest of the tree lasted until March in the bucket!

I’m probably going for a potted tree this year (with roots intact) to see how long I can keep it going.

I’m probably going for a potted tree this year (with roots intact) to see how long I can keep it going

This was my plan last year but the man who owns the garden centre we bought from said they’re almost all field-grown not pot-grown. There is a a machine that chops out a pot-shaped chunk of soil & root, so the roots get mangled and the trees don’t generally survive. I’d be glad to hear from anyone who’s nursed one through though, I had a romantic notion of a collection of old Christmas trees down the bottom of the garden!

We get a 7 footer and ram it in a small hatchback between 4 of us Someone generally gets poked in the eye but usually not the driver, so it's fine.

We have a heavy duty stand (we used to have a smaller one but upgraded the year the tree fell over on 5 year old DS) with a massive reservoir, and generally forget to refill it after the first fill, but it lasts for weeks regardless in a room with an open fire.

Actually, I still have the trunk of last year's tree out the back. I must remember to chop if for the Christmas Eve fire this year.