Top tips: taking care of your living Christmas tree

Did you know that 8 million Christmas trees will be discarded in the UK after the festive period, that equates to around 12,000 tonnes! More than ever, people chose to switch out their tradition trees with living trees this year, that will come back year after year. With minimal care there is no reason why you can’t enjoy your tree for many years to come. In turn helping the planet and saving you money.

If you made the swap to a living tree this year, here are our 5 top tips of how to care for your tree:

  1. Move the tree back outside, putting it in the sunniest spot available so it keeps its nice upright shape
  2. Keep an eye on it over the coming months to ensure that the soil doesn’t dry out or get waterlogged (raising it on pot feet or using bricks ensures the excess water can escape easily)
  3. Every 14 days throughout the spring and summer give it ericaceous feed
  4. Never trim the tree from the top or you will lose its lovely triangular shape
  5. If you’d like to encourage your tree to grow more speedily, then you can repot it into a bigger pot. Do not jump to a huge pot as the tree roots will become unhappy. Think of it like buying children’s shoes – room for growth but still a decent fit. Alternatively, in the spring, plant it out in the garden. Of course you may want to keep the tree roughly the size it is, in this case, keep in it its current pot.

If you have kept your tree in a pot, next Christmas you can move the tree back inside for the festive period. No more searching for the right tree and having to lug it home!