How to keep your tree spruce til Christmas

IT’S a month until Christmas Day and plenty of Kiwis are already decking their halls with trees and tinsel.

Christmas tree farms across New Zealand opened to the public yesterday ahead of their busiest time, the first weekend of December.

Pip McVicar from Santa’s Christmas Trees in Taranaki said a tree should easily last the next six weeks as long as buyers followed her tips.

‘‘If people do let their trees dry out then obviously they don’t last as long,’’ she said.

‘‘They can mist the foliage as well. It is important to buy fresh – so make sure they come to a place where they cut their own tree. Make sure they have plenty of water and don’t dry out. Treat them like a big bunch of flowers.’’

Ashley Commerer from Mount Gabriel Christmas Trees in Auckland said a fresh cut and clean water is the best option, despite suggestions of adding sugar, salt, aspirin or whisky.

‘‘Whisky’s probably better for the person putting up the tree ... it makes the tree look good even if it’s bad,’’ he said.

Commerer suggested taking the tree out of the pot and making a fresh cut before putting it back in water if it had dried out.

‘‘If you’re not so keen to put something like salt or sugar on a fern in a pot plant, then you probably shouldn’t give it to the tree.’’

He estimated 99 per cent of Mount Gabriel’s customers bought live trees out of tradition but understood why some families opted for the fake versions.

‘‘To be quite honest, I grow Christmas trees and I actually think some imitation trees are pretty good for the price that you pay for them.’’

New Plymouth’s Jan Blake has been buying real trees for many years, and said she grew up with a live tree as part of the seasonal tradition.

She said her family will often go early and select a tree, and come back and cut it down closer to the day.

‘‘It’s really nice to have all of that tree experience a couple of weeks before Christmas.’’

Her tip is picking a healthy tree and getting it fresh.

At Mount Gabriel in Auckland you pay between $15 and $60 for a tree, depending on size. But they are at the cheaper end of the market, with Santa’s Christmas Trees in Taranaki charging from $35 up to $200 for a 12-14 foot tree.

In the artificial forest, the variety is endless, from mini trees for the mantelpiece to LED-tipped needles. You’d be looking at $399 for a six-foot tree from Farmers, while you can pick up a standard 180cm piece for $99.99 at Briscoes. At the Warehouse, you can get a 210cm tree for $65.