Keeping the Needles on the Tree
It's disappointing when the needles start to fall from the Christmas tree early, but there are ways that you can put a stop to this and keep those needles looking fresh. It starts with the selection of the tree and ends with the atmosphere in which the tree is kept. To keep those needles from falling, you need to consider all aspects hand in hand, as one without the other won't do it.
Choosing the tree
When you choose a tree, buy a quality tree from a supplier who has these outside. Often within the confines of a store, the trees have already begun to dry out. Trees don't like indoor environments, and if the needles have already had a certain amount of drying out, they will come off early in the home environment. The best place to choose a tree is actually in a nursery situation where trees are cut as people choose them. These are the freshest trees that you can buy. If you don't have a nursery such as this, choose from those suppliers who have only recently cut them, so that the tree is as fresh as possible, giving those pine needles a better chance to stay in place.
Choosing the tree position
Position a tree near a source of heat and what happens is that it dries out too rapidly. Choose a position which is relatively chilly overnight, or one which has a good passage of air. This should be away from radiators, but also away from windows, as the light coming through the window can dry the tree out. It is this drying process that matters when it comes to pine needles dropping. Choose a position which allows the tree a little coolness.
Adding a little water.
You can add water to the bucket if you indeed use a bucket to house the tree. This shouldn't be vast amounts. This should merely be a little bit of water which is topped up every day and allowed to dry out during the course of the day. If you use too much, then you may get water on your fairy lights, so be careful and use a small jug to carefully pour this into the bucket. If you can't do that, then perhaps having a bowl of water hidden behind the tree may help to moisten the atmosphere for the tree, thus allowing it to keep its pine needles longer.
The cosmetic effect
Another way you can stop dropping pine needles is to spray the ends of the branches with snow spray. This holds the pine needles in place. It's quite fashionable these days to spray the whole tree with snow and looks rather splendid when all the decorations are put in place. If you don't want to go in that direction, a little glitter spray also helps to keep the needles on the tree. If you use one designed for hair, it includes a lacquer which helps to keep those pine needles on the tree.
Putting the tree up later
If you are going to have guests over the Christmas period, put your tree up at the latest moment you can. This means that the tree will stay fresh and not lose its needles during the visit. Fresh pine needles smell lovely, and the more you can keep these fresh, the better. Thus if you put the tree up late, it will keep its needles for longer.
Misting the tree
When you erect the tree and before you have placed decorations, you can mist the tree with a fine mist of water. This moistens the branches a little, but don't overdo it. If you do mist the tree once the lights are on, lift the lights away from where you are misting and make sure that they are switched off. Never let a child perform this as they may get carried away and not work in a safe manner.
The Christmas tree is the symbol of Christmas. It's the center piece to the Christmas celebrations. Seeing all the pine needles dropping from the tree and having to sweep them up daily is irritating. To keep them on the tree, buy good quality at the last minute. Buy fresh, and keep the tree moist, and above all, remember that the tree doesn't like central heating as much as you do. As the fairy stands proudly at the top of the tree, she will be happier if the branches still display their wonderful forest greenness. With a little respect for nature, and care for your tree from the moment of cutting, you can stop those pine needles from falling.
