Fir God’s sake – Experts reveal simple hacks to keeping your tree alive for longer this Christmas

With less than five weeks until Christmas, Brits are panicking about buying their Christmas trees, and over 220,000 have turned to Google to find out where to get one in the past week. For those who are ready to put their Christmas tree up early, experts have shared simple key tips within the home, that can ensure the tree is still alive ahead of the big day.

The Christmas tree is a big talking point in someone’s home over the festive season. Online heating specialist, BestHeating, surveyed adults to reveal on average 63% every year feel their tree loses pines, the smell and rich colour ahead of Christmas Day, which leaves 43% feeling less festive.

To help those that are putting their tree up early this year and keep the spirit of Christmas alive, John Lawless, content marketing manager at BestHeating has spoken to horticulturist and Christmas tree expert Deemer Cass from Fantastic Gardeners, who advises on the do’s and don’ts of looking after your tree, with heating being one of the biggest culprits.

The experts have revealed three common mistakes Brits make when looking after their Christmas tree in the home and provide tips on how to solve them just in time for the festivities:

Positioning near heat sources - The main mistake made is placing a tree near heat sources. You should avoid putting it near radiators and fireplaces as this will prevent it from drying out, looking wilted and shedding its needles. For a home with underfloor heating, try and turn it off in the area with your tree. If you can’t avoid a warm place, make sure the stand or box is constantly topped up with water as a Christmas tree uses up to two litres of water a day.

A Humid room – Forgetting about the humidity of the room is another mistake people make - the ideal winter humidity is between 45% - 50%. If the air is too dry, it will cause the tree to wither, in which case, use a humidifier to add moisture in the air.

Placing in the centre - Finding the perfect placement is hard and many make the error of placing the tree in the centre of the room, but the best conditions are found in a corner that isn’t near heat sources and is also not at risk of being knocked. Make sure that the area is close enough to plug sockets so the lights can be turned on.

John Lawless of BestHeating commented: “Putting the tree up is one of the highlights of Christmas, but some people are left disappointed when theirs begins to look worse for wear once the big day draws closer.

“It’s easy to make mistakes such as having the temperature too high and placing it in a humid room but by keeping it away from radiators and lowering the temperature of your home slightly, you should see the Christmas tree thrive over the festive period. For those wanting to put their tree up in advance we recommend a Nordmann Fir as it will live the longest in heated conditions and the needles won’t drop for a long time.”