Picking Out a Christmas Tree

By John Wilson

Extension Educator

John Wilson

Putting the Thanksgiving leftovers in the refrigerator often marks the start of the Christmas tree season. Nationally, about 36 million trees will be sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Artificial tree sales increased the past decade, but those sales have leveled off and now there’s a return to having a traditional tree.

A natural Christmas tree is an environmental friendly way to celebrate the holidays. The average artificial Christmas tree has a life span of 6 years before it ends up in a landfill. A live Christmas tree, while used only one season, can become valuable mulch, a winter bird feeder, or even used as a fish habitat after the holidays.

So how do you pick out the perfect tree? The best way to obtain the freshest tree is to harvest it yourself at a local Christmas tree farm. This way you are guaranteed a fresh tree rather than one that may have been harvested several weeks earlier. A list of Nebraska Christmas tree growers is available on the Nebraska Department of Agriculture website. If cutting your own tree is not possible, here are some ways to check the freshness of a Christmas tree.

First, give the tree a light but vigorous shake. Only a few interior needles will fall out of a fresh tree. If a pile of brown needles appears on the ground, particularly from the branch tips, it is not fresh. Next, reach into a branch and gently pull the needles through your hand as you move out towards the tip. The needles should bend, but remain firmly attached, as your fingers run across them.

Regardless of whether you buy a tree from a lot or cut it yourself, once you get it home, leave it outside in a shady area while you set up the stand. The choice of a stand is probably the most critical factor in maintaining the freshness of the tree once it’s in your home. The stand should hold one-half to one gallon of water as a new Christmas tree may absorb this much water per day. A good rule-of-thumb is a tree will use one quart of water per day for every inch of trunk diameter at the base. If you have a tree with a 3-inch trunk, it may use about three quarts of water per day.

Make sure you start with a clean stand. Before setting up the tree, wash the inside of the stand with a solution of three tablespoons of bleach in a pint of water. After washing, rinse the stand with fresh water. This will reduce the growth of microorganisms that may also plug up the tree’s pores.

Just before you bring the tree in the house cut off the bottom inch or two of the trunk. This will open the sap-filled pores which transport water into the tree. The base cut should be square, not slanted. The angle makes little difference in the amount of water absorbed and it may expose part of the base to air sooner if the water level runs low. Once the tree is in the stand, add water and then never let the stand become empty. If the stand becomes empty for more than six hours, the tree’s pores plug up. Water uptake will be significantly reduced, the tree will dry out, and the needles will soon begin to fall.

If the tree stand does dry up, there is nothing that can be done other than pull the tree out of the stand and re-cut the base… not a pleasant task once the lights and ornaments are already up. Nothing needs to be added to the water in the stand to improve needle retention. Commercial “tree fresher” products do not significantly increase the life of the tree and the home remedies such as aspirin, sugar, soft drinks and vodka do not work and may be harmful to pets that may drink from the stand.

Finally, place the stand in a spot that receives only indirect sunlight and is not near a heat duct, entry door, or other drafty location. This will reduce water loss from the tree and prolong its freshness.

For more information on Christmas tree selection and care, contact you local UNL Extension office.