Leigh Sinton Christmas Tree Care
Care of Christmas Trees
Members of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association provide high quality
Christmas Trees, and their aim is to supply the customer with a tree that
is absolutely ideal for the centrepiece of the Christmas celebrations.
Trees which are bought directly from members are grown in accordance with
the BCTGA environmental Code of Practice and are guaranteed fresh. Provided
care is taken in looking after the tree the tree should survive over 4 weeks.
Trees should not be purchased earlier than 1st December if guaranteed satisfaction
is demanded.
Care of the Tree
It is part of the life cycle of the conifer tree that it sheds needles and
they will accelerate that shedding particularly if they dry out. Some trees
do so more quickly than others. The best way to ensure satisfaction is to
care for the tree while it is in your home. A tree should be treated like
any plant being brought into a warm, dry atmosphere.
Cut Trees
It is essential that cut trees should be fresh when purchased. The needles
should not be dull and dried up. The branches should not be brittle. The
outer needles should not fall off if the tree is gently shaken.
After you have bought your tree it should be kept outside in a cool shaded
place, preferably standing in water, until it is required indoors. Before
bringing the tree indoors it is an advantage if about half an inch is cut
off the butt in order to open up the pores of the tree. Mount it in a water
holding stand or wedge it in a bucket with pebbles, small stones or screwed
up newspaper, and place it away from direct heat. Keep the container topped
up with water every day; you will be surprised how much it needs.
Trees with Bare Roots
These are trees which have been extracted with their roots. This is usually
only possible with the smaller trees. The small roots break off and no soil
comes with the larger root system. They should be freshly harvested. It
is best to soak the roots in water before potting the tree in moist earth.
The earth should be kept moist. These trees will last longer if they are
kept away from direct heat when they are brought indoors. There is a slight
chance that these trees will survive if planted out after Christmas. They
should be watered very well.
Root Balled Trees
These are trees that have been carefully prepared so that they can be dug
up with minimal disturbance the earth round the root system. Earth is retained
by wrapping the roots in sacking or similar material. The roots should be
kept damp and the trees, having had the sacking removed, should be potted
in moist earth. These trees should remain fresh, retain their needles, and
have a reasonable chance of survival if planted out after Christmas.
Container Grown Trees
These are trees that have been grown for at least one season in their pots.
It is often possible to lift the whole root system out of the pot and see
the closely woven root which has grown in the pot. The trees themselves
should look fresh. The trees will be small and seldom more than three foot.
The trees should be watered and cared for as for any house plant.
Blocked Trees
These are cut trees that have been placed in a wooden block. If you do not
want to water your tree this is an ideal way to display your tree. However,
for extra stability you could put the tree and block in to a larger plastic
pot and weighted with bricks. The tree will also be able to be watered then
too.
