A live Christmas tree fills the house with the smell of pine needles, and with it a festive mood. However, it has one big drawback - the needles begin to fall off just a few days after the New Year. It is possible to preserve the appearance of a forest beauty and extend her stay in a city apartment if you follow some recommendations.

Choosing a quality tree

When choosing a tree at the Christmas tree market, ask the seller to provide documents indicating the date of felling. If they are not there, carefully inspect the product from all sides. If necessary, come closer to the tree, ask to turn it the other way, etc.

The quality of spruce can be judged by the following characteristics:

1. The needles of a freshly cut tree are painted a rich green color, with no signs of yellowing.
2. The Christmas tree paw is flexible and elastic: it is difficult to break it and it is impossible to tear off a branch from it.
3. If you run your hand forcefully along the branch, the needles remain in place.
4. The tree trunk is completely covered with needles.
5. There is no wide dark border on the cut of the trunk.
6. If you stretch several needles with your fingers, a distinct pine aroma will appear.

Usually people buy a Christmas tree for the holiday because it is the most affordable, popular and familiar New Year tree. Its fresh forest aroma cannot be confused with anything else. It reminds of childhood, is found in old Soviet films, and decorates New Year's cards. However, the classic Russian spruce stays in the house for no longer than 2 weeks from the moment of installation, losing more and more needles every day.

Fir (Danish Christmas tree) is better known in Europe and America. It is a traditional symbol of Catholic Christmas, family gatherings and home comfort. Small children really like the New Year's tree because its needles do not prick. Thanks to its regular pyramidal shape, fir looks very aesthetically pleasing. In addition, it practically does not shed its needles, but only gradually turns yellow. The aroma of the Danish spruce is much less pronounced than the aroma of Russian spruce. With good care, the fir will delight you with its appearance for up to 3 weeks.

Proper installation of a live Christmas tree

The installation of the New Year's tree determines how long it will retain its decorative properties. The first thing to do is to allow the forest beauty to recover after transportation. Do not bring the spruce home right away. Keep it for some time in a cold room: garage, shed, glassed-in balcony.

Choose the best location for the tree. Do not place it near sources of heating or open fire. This precaution is necessary not only to prevent fire, but also to preserve the presentable appearance of the tree. It would be good if there was an electrical outlet nearby to connect a multi-colored garland. If not, use an extension cord.

Wooden or plastic crosses for installing a live Christmas tree are a relic of the past. If you want to keep the tree fresh longer, buy a special stand that has a reservoir for water or sand. As a last resort, a deep metal or plastic bucket will do.

Installation steps:

1. Before installation, cut off the lower branches of the tree so that it does not get in the way and does not rest against the floor.
2. Use a sharp knife or hatchet to clear the trunk to a height of 15-20 cm.
3. Be sure to renew the cut for better water absorption.
4. Place the tree in a container of water or sand.
5. If necessary, secure it with rope guys.

Cover the reservoir with filler and the lower part of the trunk with paper, cotton wool, tinsel or other decorative elements. Do this so that you have access to a stand or bucket for watering.

How to care at home

The Christmas tree requires care throughout the entire period of its stay in the apartment, and proper installation is only the first part of it. The tree should not lack moisture. Water the tree regularly or add water to the container. Be sure to monitor the humidity level in the apartment: dry air has a detrimental effect on needles. It's good if you have a humidifier in your house. If it is not there, spray the spruce paws with a spray bottle every evening.

Before installation, refresh the cut, and after installation, nourish the plant with special homemade solutions.

Refresh the cut

Living trees receive the necessary substances for growth and development from the soil. A felled tree also needs food. Compensate for the lack of roots by updating the cut - this way the area of ​​the absorbent layer will be larger. To do this, free the lower part of the trunk from the bark and shorten it by 2-3 cm at an angle of 45°. Immediately immerse the fresh cut in water or damp sand.

Nutrient solutions

Do-it-yourself fertilizers will help prolong the life of the New Year's tree and save it from pest attacks.

The simplest recipe for making Christmas tree food is to mix hot water and vinegar. For 1 liter of boiling water, take 50 ml of table vinegar. The product will serve as a natural preservative and also protect the bark from insects.

The second version of the homemade fertilizer recipe is intended to replenish the tree’s nutritional reserves and prevent trunk rot. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 aspirin tablet in cold water. Place the spruce in the liquid or pour the mixture over the sand.

To prepare a universal and effective nutritional product, dilute 2 teaspoons of ammonium nitrate, 1 teaspoon of superphosphate and ½ teaspoon of potassium nitrate in 10 liters of warm water. Add 1 tablespoon of the mixture daily to the container with the installed tree.

If you don’t want to make your own fertilizers for conifers, you can purchase a ready-made solution. It has not only a balanced composition of essential nutrients, but also a rich spruce aroma due to the content of natural essential oils.

How long will a Christmas tree last at home?

Freshly cut spruce will last in the apartment from 7 to 14 days. This period varies depending on several circumstances: location, watering mode, temperature and humidity in the house. On the eve of the Old New Year, even with proper care, the needles will begin to fall off - by this time the tree has completely used up its vital resources.

What to do with the Christmas tree after the holidays

It is recommended to take natural spruce to special collection points for further processing, where it will be turned into fertilizer or sawdust for the boiler room. A used Christmas tree can be taken to a zoo - where its needles will become food or bedding for animals. Summer residents use fallen needles as mulch for the soil, and adherents of traditional medicine make medicinal decoctions from them.

Of course, you can take the dried Christmas tree to a trash container, from where it will be sent to a landfill. However, this is not the best solution, because city landfills do not have suitable conditions for the natural decomposition of wood.

How to preserve compositions from fir branches

An alternative to a live Christmas tree can be compositions made from spruce branches. They also need proper care so that the needles do not fall off prematurely.

The easiest way is to stick spruce branches into piaflor - a special phytosponge that can be bought at flower shops. This way the coniferous bouquet will stay fresh and fragrant for up to 10 days. However, for greater stability, it is better to keep massive spruce paws in a pot filled with well-washed river sand.

Before installing the elements of the New Year's composition, trim them a little from the bottom. The cuts will be filled with resin, and the plant will use less water. You can feed coniferous branches with the same nutrient mixtures as live Christmas trees. Keep natural decor away from heating devices and spray it with water every day.

Storage of artificial

A Christmas tree made of plastic or paper does not cause any trouble to its owner. The only point that brings some inconvenience is storing the artificial spruce. Even when folded, it takes up a lot of space.

How to fold

If the tree has a collapsible structure, start dismantling it from the top and gradually move down. Press each section of the tree tightly against the trunk so that everything can be placed in one box. The easiest way to pack a tree is to wrap it tightly in cling film. You can store such a Christmas tree anywhere.

If you have an artificial tree with removable branches, when dismantling it, sort all the elements by size. Tie identical parts of the tree with rope or wrap them with film so that they can be easily found later.

What to pack

Carefully place all parts of the disassembled tree into a cardboard box or large bag. Lay the trunk and stand down, and place the branches on top. It is important that the storage container is completely closed. This will prevent dust and insects from entering. If the tree is made of paper, it is better to keep it in a plastic container so that it does not spoil.

Where to put it away

Synthetic wood should be stored away from sunlight at a temperature of +5...+35 °C. Christmas trees with a coating that imitates snow are especially sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and humidity. Therefore, it is better to keep them in a dry room where a constant temperature is maintained all year round: in a pantry, on mezzanines, in a utility room.

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Now people are divided into those who prefer natural spruce trees and those who install artificial ones. If you are a fan of freshly cut coniferous trees, then you should stock up on the appropriate knowledge in order to preserve your Christmas tree or pine tree for as long as possible.

1. Spruce has a more intense aroma, while pine may seem sharper.
2. Spruce is more convenient for transportation.
3. Pine has stronger branches than a Christmas tree, so you can decorate it without any problems.
4. Spruce sheds a lot of needles, much more than pine. It starts to crumble quickly. This can be a hassle in the form of daily cleaning.
5. Pine has a more affordable price than spruce, because spruce is more difficult to grow.
6. Pine produces a very abundant amount of resin, which is difficult to wash off the floor.
7. Pine can stand longer without water; spruce needs to be watered regularly at the cut site and the branches moistened.

It is difficult to single out which is better. More often, pine is purchased for the New Year because it is more durable, the needles are softer and the smell is richer. You need to weigh all the pros and cons and thus make the choice yourself.

What is the difference between spruce and pine, how to distinguish

1. Pine has longer needles than spruce, up to fifteen centimeters. Spruce needles grow up to two centimeters.
2. The spruce has a cone-shaped shape, the branches are lowered down. The pine branches are raised upward.
3. The pine tree has an open trunk because the branches start a little higher than the middle of the trunk. Spruce branches cover the trunk.
4. Pine has a richer scent than spruce.

1. You need to buy a spruce at least five days before the holiday.
2. A healthy Christmas tree has a thick trunk.
3. If there is a lot of resin on the cut, then the spruce was cut down recently.
4. Inspect the trunk; there should be no fungus, dark spots, or damage on it.
5. The needles should be a rich green color; in no case should they be gray or yellow. The needles should not fall off.

What costs longer: spruce or pine?

Pine will last longer than spruce because its needles do not fall off as quickly. Also, pine is more hardy and can last longer without water, which cannot be said about the Christmas tree.

1. Leave the purchased Christmas tree on the balcony or in the barn for a day (the temperature should be 5-11 degrees), there it will acclimatize. If you immediately bring the New Year's tree home, the needles may quickly fall off due to a sharp temperature change.
2. Shorten the base of the trunk by a few centimeters.
3. To preserve the spruce, soak it in the solution. Options for solutions are given below.
4. Do not place the tree near heat sources to prevent it from drying out. Draft is also undesirable.
5. Spray the needles with warm water once a day.
6. A branch that has begun to wither must be cut off as quickly as possible. Lubricate the cut area with Vaseline.
7. When old-style garlands are heated, the needles also heat up. Use only new garlands.
8. Limit yourself to the optimal set of toys; don’t hang too many on a branch. Such overload reduces the effective nutrition of the needles.

What to do to prevent pine from falling off longer, recommendations

1. The advice on acclimatizing spruce can also be applied to pine; leave it in a cool place for a day.
2. Strip the pine trunk and wrap it with a cloth soaked in water with dissolved aspirin.
3. Place the pine tree in a container with wet sand. You can add glycerin. The sand should cover the trunk by fifteen centimeters.
4. The sand in which the pine tree stands should be watered once every two days.
5. Pine should not stand near a radiator, fireplace or TV.
6. Avoid overloading branches with toys.

Christmas tree solution

• Dissolve a teaspoon of glycerin in a liter of water. This solution prevents the process of rotting.
• Add acetic acid to hot water.
• Dissolve an aspirin tablet or a little citric acid in the water in which the spruce stands.
• A small portion of potassium permanganate added to the water will preserve your Christmas tree.

When to take down the Christmas tree

• If you adhere to Feng Shui, then the tree should stand until the Chinese New Year, that is, until February.
• In ancient times, they believed that before the Old New Year, the tree gave energy to the house and it was not worth getting rid of it until the fourteenth of January.
• Common sense dictates that it is enough to celebrate the New Year and Christmas with a Christmas tree, and then everyone is free to decide when to get rid of it. If the spruce looks unusable before the end of all the winter holidays, then it is better to get rid of it immediately.

A real New Year's tree enlivens the atmosphere, and the pine aroma is good for health. Don’t go overboard with the number of toys and tinsel on the branches, follow the advice and take care of the spruce. In this situation, it will not crumble and will please you longer.