College of Agricultural Sciences • Cooperative Extension

Caring for Your Cut Christmas treeThe key to maintaining your live Christmas tree

throughout the holiday season is to give it the proper

care from the time it is purchased until the tree is removed

from your home.

Maintaining a high moisture level in the tree is the single

most important factor in reducing needle loss and

keeping the tree fresh. This is accomplished primarily

through the use of water-holding stands and keeping

the water level in the stand above the base of the tree.Every year, there are many articles writtenconcerning the handling and care of Christmastrees. Unfortunately, they often contain erroneousinformation.

The following research-based guidelines will help you

to maintain the freshness and aroma of your live

Christmas tree this holiday season.

1 Use a tree stand with an adequate water-holdingcapacity. A tree stand should have a water basin thatprovides 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter.For most Christmas trees, the stand should hold atleast 1 gallon of water. A cut tree will absorb asurprising amount of water, particularly during thefirst week, so replenish the water daily.

2 The tree stand should fit your tree. Some stands havecircular rings at the top, so the ring must be largeenough for the trunk of your tree to go through thehole. Avoid whittling down the sides of the trunk tofit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the mostefficient in taking up water and should not beremoved.

3 If the tree is to be stored for more than a couple of days before display, it is advisable to place its trunk inwater and store it in a cool, shaded, and protected,area such as an unheated garage.

4 If the tree has been cut within the past 12 hours, itwill not be necessary to recut the trunk prior todisplay indoors. If it has been longer than 12 hourssince harvest, the trunk should be recut to improvewater uptake.

 

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5 Cutting off a disk of wood about ¼” thick from thebase of the trunk is all that is necessary before puttingthe tree in the stand. Make the cut perpendicular tothe stem axis. Don’t cut the trunk at an angle, or intoa v-shape, which makes it far more difficult to holdthe tree in the stand and also reduces the amount of water available to the tree.

6 Keep displayed trees away from sources of heat(fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, and direct sunlight).Lowering the room temperature will slow the dryingprocess, resulting in less water consumption each day.

7 The temperature of the water used to fill the stand isnot important and does not affect water uptake.

8 Check the stand daily to make sure that the level of water does not go below the base of the tree. Withmany stands, there can still be water in the stand eventhough the base of the tree is no longer submerged inwater.

9 Drilling a hole in the base of the trunk does notimprove water uptake.

10 The use of “IV” type devices to supply waterdirectly to holes drilled into the sides of the tree trunk is not as effective as displaying the tree in a moretraditional, water-holding tree stand.

11 Applying anti-transpirants to the tree does not have asignificant effect on the rate of moisture loss. Theseproducts are marketed as a way to block evaporationfrom the foliage surface, but, in reality, they have littleeffect on a cut tree displayed indoors.

12 Adding water-holding gels to the stand is notbeneficial, and they can reduce the amount of waterin the stand that is available to the tree.

13 Do not use additives, such as floral preservatives,commercial tree preservatives, molasses, sugar, bleach,soft drinks, aspirin, honey, and other concoctions, inthe water. Clean water is all that is needed to maintainfreshness.

14 Displaying trees in water with the proper care ismuch more effective in reducing fire hazards thanspraying trees with flame retardants. Some flameretardants can damage needles and actually increasethe rate of moisture loss from trees.

Visit Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences on the Web: www.cas.psu.edu.

Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended, and no endorsement by

Penn State Cooperative Extension is implied.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of Congress May 8 and

June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Depar tment o f Agriculture and the

Pennsylvania Legislature. T. R. Alter, Director of Cooperative Extension, The

Pennsylvania State University.

This publication is available in alternative media on request.

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© The Pennsylvania State University 2003

The Hor t ic u l tu re Fac t Sheet ser ies is produced  

fo r home gardeners and pro fess iona ls by the  

Consumer Hor t ic u l tu re Center a t Penn Sta t e .

The com ple te ser ies is ava i lab le on the Web a t  

www.hor tweb.cas .psu.edu.

15 Monitor your tree for dryness. Run your fingersacross the needles to determine whether they are dryand brittle. If the needles break easily or fall off in

your hand, the tree is dry and should be removed

Prepared by Rick Bates, assistant professor of ornamental horticulture

Penn State College of Agricultural SciencesDepartment of Horticulture102 Tyson Bldg.University Park, PA 16802September 21, 2003