How do you extend the life of a fresh cut Christmas tree? (2023)

How do you extend the life of a fresh cut Christmas tree?

Get your cut tree into water as soon as you can. If you're not itching to decorate it right away, store the tree (in water) in a cool place, such as a garage. Once you do bring the tree indoors, keep it away from direct heat. The cooler the environment, the happier the tree.

A healthy, fresh-cut Christmas tree will last for four to five weeks if properly cared for. If you're itching to put up your holiday decorations earlier, start with non-living decorations whenever you like, and finish off with fresh greenery and your Christmas tree around the first of December.

Fraser fir will last you the longest, at about 5 weeks. If you like to buy your tree early, this one should still be looking good by Christmas time. A Douglas fir will also last quite a while at 4 weeks. Scotch pine also lasts for 3 weeks.

"Your best bet is just plain tap water added to the Christmas tree stand. It doesn't have to be distilled water or mineral water or anything like that.

Plain tap water is all you need — the report cautions against adding sugar, aspirin, bleach, floral preservatives or other additives to the water. Some of those additives, like bleach, can actually cause damage to trees and plants.

Dried sap will form over the cut surface, forming a waterproof barrier, in about four to six hours, so it's important to get the tree submerged in water within that timeframe.

Put the tree in water as soon as possible

Remember: You're bringing home a live plant. If you want to keep it fresh, it needs to have adequate water. "Water is the absolute most important thing you can do to preserve your tree for Christmas," says Jane Neubauer, co-owner of Sugar Pines Farm in Chesterland, Ohio.

While some people swear by adding something extra like sugar, soda and even vodka to their Christmas tree's water, our sources say freshwater is the best option. Fact-checking if adding something to the water will help keep your tree fresh longer.

Do you add cold or hot water on Christmas tree?

You only have to use hot water the first time. From then on, always keep the reservoir filled with cool water. Bottom line - don't ever let the water go empty, and your tree should last through the holidays!

The National Christmas Tree Association says the best way to keep a Christmas tree hydrated is plain fresh water. Adding aspirin, soda, bleach, corn syrup, sugar or preservatives are unnecessary and actually can be detrimental. They can decrease moisture retention and increase needle loss.

Recut The Trunk

The solution to this is to take your Christmas tree out of the stand and cut a fresh slice off the bottom. 1/2 to 1 inch (1.2 to 2.5 cm) off the bottom works well. Then place the tree back into the tree stand and fill it with cold water.

You should spray your tree with room temperature water at least once a day but only when the Christmas lights are off and unplugged. Spraying your tree daily will reduce the dryness, prevent excessive amounts of needles from falling off, and make the tree more resistant against fire and flames.

In the end though, we shouldn't feel so superior. The tree is dead! Giving it Viagra, or Sprite, or corn syrup, or ketchup won't make it any more dead.

Yet it's an urban myth, and it's not true. Adding acidity to the water doesn't help the tree take in moisture. Sugar acts as a nutrient; in fact, the tree doesn't need food; It just needs water. And sugar can cause bacteria to grow in the water and make it smell bad.

After you put up your Christmas tree, fill the tree stand reservoir with boiling water, says Phil Eichler of the Urban Gardener in Chicago. The hot water liquefies sap that has hardened at the base of the trunk since the tree was cut and frees up its circulatory system, he says.

The old trick of spraying your tree with hairspray does actually work, as it stops moisture loss through the needles – however, this in turn does make it more flammable, and is NOT recommended due to it being a fire hazard.

Water your real Christmas tree every day to keep it looking plump and full. A dehydrated tree will start to droop and wilt quickly, so we recommend adding a minimum of 500ml of water a day. A real tree can absorb around 1-2 litres of water per day, however a cut tree will keep hydrated with less.

3. Check the water level of your Christmas tree daily. Once inside, place your tree in a sturdy stand that holds at least one gallon of water. Then don't forget to regularly water your Christmas tree — too little can cause resin to form, which means the tree won't absorb water and it will dry out quickly.

Do you wrap a Christmas tree from top to bottom?

Beginning at the bottom, weave each string in and out of the branches, to the top of the tree and back. Was this page helpful?

Be sure to replace the water that is used each day and don't allow the stand to dry out. Do not add sugar, aspirin, bleach or floral preservatives to the water; plain tap water is all that is needed to keep your tree fresh.

No, that is not true. Adding aspirin -- or anything else -- to water in the tree stand reservoir does nothing to prolong the life of a cut tree. Research indicates that the most important things you can do to keep a cut tree healthy are: Select a fresh tree.

You should spray your tree with room temperature water at least once a day but only when the Christmas lights are off and unplugged. Spraying your tree daily will reduce the dryness, prevent excessive amounts of needles from falling off, and make the tree more resistant against fire and flames.

“It really helps preserve the tree,” the post says. “Cut flowers (yes, and trees) like the sugar and citric acid, and some folks feel that the natural lemon lime flavoring may act as a preservative as well,” the post reads.

Leave out the gimmicks. You might have been told that Coca-Cola or corn syrup in the base helps to keep your tree alive, or maybe the garden centre tried to send you home with special tree food? Don't fall for it! Your beautiful tree just wants a constant supply of fresh water, it's that simple.

The magnesium sulfate produced by the epsom salt and chelated iron help in the production of chlorophyll, keeping your tree nice and green. The small amount of bleach added helps in reducing mold that can form when corn syrup and water stand in the resevoir for to long.

You only have to use hot water the first time. From then on, always keep the reservoir filled with cool water. Bottom line - don't ever let the water go empty, and your tree should last through the holidays!

Should I use warm or cold water for my Christmas tree? Water is water! Cut trees will soak up as much H₂O water they can get, so no need to worry about fiddling with the water temperature. They aren't picky.

While watering your Christmas tree at the trunk is important to keep it alive and looking fresh, many people skip out on spraying the needles and branches with water. Spraying your Christmas tree with water can keep needles from falling off and drying out, along with giving the tree added moisture.