How to keep your tree fresh through Christmas
For many of us, there is no alternative to a live Christmas tree. If you have not yet purchased a tree, seek out the freshest one and select a variety that does well indoors.
Most commercially available trees are harvested the first couple of weeks of November. The freshest trees are farmed locally and harvested closer to Thanksgiving. Some farms allow you to cut your own tree or choose a tree they will cut for you. To locate a Christmas tree grower in your area, visit the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association website, christmastrees.org.
To check a pre-cut tree for freshness, look for flexible needles that remain firmly attached when you tug them. If the needles pull out easily, or if they appear a dull, lifeless green, the tree may be past its prime.
Evergreens shed their oldest needles every year, with brown needles remaining inside, closer to the trunk. Shake those older needles off prior to bringing the tree into the house. A fresh cut of the trunk will help trees take in water and survive longer indoors.
From there, it’s fairly easy to keep the tree happy in your home. Everyone probably has an old family recipe for what to add to water to keep the tree fresh. My family’s involved molasses and Borax. The best tip is to provide water, and lots of it. A cut tree will absorb a lot of water, particularly during the first week. Check the water level in your tree stand daily, and add water as needed. The temperature does not matter. Water-holding gels will not help; they reduce the amount of water in the stand that is available to the tree.
Some other tips to help keep your tree fresh:
• Use a tree stand with an adequate capacity. A tree stand should have a basin that provides 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. For most trees, the stand should hold at least 1 gallon of water.
• Make sure the stand fits your tree. Some stands have circular rings at the top, so the ring must be large enough for the trunk of your tree to go through the hole. Avoid whittling down the sides of the trunk to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed.
• Keep the tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, heaters, heat vents and direct sunlight. Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, resulting in less water consumption each day.
• Monitor your tree for dryness. Run your fingers across the needles to determine whether they are dry and brittle. If the needles break easily or fall off in your hand, the tree is dry and should be removed.
• Use LED Christmas lights. They are more energy-efficient and generate less heat than older Christmas lights.
Spotted lanternflies
Christmas trees are not a preferred host for spotted lanternflies, so the chance of finding one on your tree is low. To be sure, check for egg masses before you buy. They look like gray mud splatters. Egg masses can be scrapped off the bark and destroyed by placing them in rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. If the eggs hatch indoors, the nymphs pose no threat to people, animals or structures, and will die quickly.
After the holidays
Don’t just haul that tree to the curb unless you know it will be recycled. Evergreen boughs make a great mulch for perennial flowering plants, they’re light and don’t hold excessive moisture around the crown of the plant. Using them can reduce heaving from the freeze-thaw cycle. They can also be placed on the ground near bird feeders to create a little shelter for ground-feeding birds.
Pittsburgh residents can drop off trees at 12 locations throughout the city, some year-round and some specifically for Christmas trees. Trees will be chipped into pine mulch and made available for
free to the public this spring. Find city dropoff locations at pittsburghpa.gov/dpw/ xmas-tree-recycling. Find Allegheny County recycling sites at www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/christmastree
Christmas tree types
• Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii) has soft, flat, bluegreen needles and a naturally symmetrical growth habit. Good needle retention and a sweet citrusy scent.
• Fraser fir ( Abies fraseri) and balsam fir ( A. balsamea) have soft, flat, dark green needles marked by silver bands on the undersides.
Their growth habit is a bit more stiff than that of a Douglas fir. Good needle retention, moderately stiff branches and a spicy, resinous fragrance. Heavy ornaments should go on the shorter, thicker upper branches.
• White pine ( Pinus strobus) and Scotch pine ( P. sylvestris) produce longer needles in bundles and are tightly sheared when grown as Christmas trees. Good needle retention and traditional pine fragrance.
• Colorado blue spruce ( Picea pungens) has sharp, square needles in blue-green to silvery blue color. They tend to have a symmetrical growth habit and hold the heaviest ornaments without complaint. Needle retention is good as long as they never run out of water. The sharp needles are not ideal for homes with small children.
Denise Grabner is a Penn State Master Gardener. This volunteer program supports the outreach mission of Penn State Extension. Have a gardening question? Email it, along with photos, to the Garden Hotline, staffed by the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Allegheny County at alleghenymg@psu.edu. They are answering emails from home during the pandemic but cannot take phone calls or office visits at this time.