Caring for your Christmas Tree

How to keep you tree safe and healthy throughout the season

Dec 21, 2006

Christmas trees are inside for several days, sometimes weeks and this can dry them out and make them a fire hazard. Keeping the tree healthy is important to everyone.

By now many homes have installed a live Christmas tree as part of their seasonal decorations. Getting the tree set up and decorated is a fun task for every member of the family, including some cats! However, it is easy to forget that a real tree is not a plastic decoration. To keep the tree healthy requires some time throughout the holiday season.

The most important task is to water the tree. The tree has been severed from the roots which supplied water to the tree as a whole and the needles in particular. When you first purchased the tree, the store possibly re-cut the base so that it would be easier for the tree to absorb water. If the store did not do this, then you should have done this before you put the tree in the stand. It is important that you water the tree after you have stabilized the tree in the base. In the first day, a medium sized tree can absorb as much as a full gallon of water. Check the water levels frequently so that it does not dry out. Water in the base will also add weight, which in turn, increases the stability of the tree.

Depending on the location of the tree, the need for water will vary. If an air vent is behind the tree, then it will dry out quicker than if it is placed on a cool Florida room. If your location does have a vent, consider turning the vent off for the duration of the season.

Even with the best care, most trees will slowly dry out. This is shown by the needles starting to drop when someone brushes past. Hopefully this will not happen before the holiday is over.

For general safely around the tree make sure that you have appropriate lights, not exceeding the manufacturer’s number in a connected line. Faulty wires and overloading of a line can cause a tree to ignite easily. This is particularly true if the tree has been deprived of water. Never be tempted to recreate a ‘Victorian’ tree by placing lit candles on the tree. This was, and is, an accident waiting to happen. Also keep cigarettes away from the tree, and do not smoke whilst you are decorating the tree, as the slighted piece of hot ash can cause a fire.

So, with minimum care, a Christmas tree can be a safe and enjoyable part of the home’s decoration.

The copyright of the article Caring for your Christmas Tree in Plants & Bulbs is owned by Kate Copsey. Permission to republish Caring for your Christmas Tree in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.