Tips (that really work) to keep your real Christmas tree alive all season long!

By ALEXIS ROCHESTER

The most popular Christmas post on Chemistry Cachet is this blog post on keeping real Christmas trees alive all season.

Don’t forget to read the blog post to see some myth busters like using 7-up and aspirin in the water to keep the tree stay alive.

I did a poll on Instagram stories the other day to see who still uses a real tree, and I was surprised to see about 50% of readers still love getting a real tree!

These tips are so simple, but they are often overlooked.

1. Choose a fresh tree

This seems like a no-brainer, but after talking with some professionals and people who always use real Christmas trees, fresh trees are so important. You might not be choosing a fresh tree like you think. Here are some basic tips to make sure you actually get a fresh one:

First, bend the needles in your fingers to see what they do. Pine trees should not break, but bend well. Fir trees snap easily. This means they are very fresh!

Go for a rich green color and make sure it has this throughout the entire tree.

Reach deep inside of the tree and pull on the needles. Fresh trees shouldn’t have any needles that fall off.

2. Trim the bottom of the tree

Once you get the tree home, you want to make sure to trim the bottom. Most experts recommend cutting off about ½ to 1 inch off the trunk.

Remember to just cut straight across. No angling is needed.

3. Set up the tree in a cool place

I had a friend a few years back whose tree continued to die before Christmas. They discovered the heat vent in the ceiling was pointing toward the tree.

Make sure your heat vents aren’t turned in the direction of the tree. Even just a little bit of heat from a vent will make the tree wilt.

Also, make sure to keep the tree away from space heaters or fireplaces. Even in a place where the heat might draft over to them.

Keeping the tree next to a cold window is always a good spot. If you live in a warm climate like we do, make sure the window isn’t getting a lot of sun though!

4. Keep cool fresh water on tree

Fresh trees will soak up quite a bit of water. You need to check the basin a few times a day to make sure it is full. Also, use fresh and cool water.

5. Use a large water basin

Another issue you might encounter is using too small of a container. The tree will need water well past the truck and it will eliminate the possibility of the tree not having enough water.

Alexis Rochester is an investigative chemist, blogger and founder of Chemistry Cachet. She shares science-based skin care, cleaning, gardening and health tips. She was diagnosed with RA at age 10, so she has a passion for pain management tips and research, along with sharing her journey through this disease. When she’s not writing for Chemistry Cachet, she is taking Pilates or Barre classes, and also received her Barre teaching certification this year! She grew up in Stephenville and recently moved back with her daughter, husband and bulldog. You can find her posting pictures and fun stories daily on Instagram. Also look for Chemistry Cachet on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn.