How to care for your real Christmas tree
A cut tree is still a living thing - treat it like one and it'll look superb into January. Here's the full routine, from delivery day to Twelfth Night.
Day one: the first hour matters most
Get your tree into water within an hour or two of it coming indoors. If it's been out of water longer than a few hours, saw a thin slice - 1–2cm - off the base first; the cut surface seals with resin and stops the tree drinking otherwise. (Order a water-retaining stand with your tree and we deliver it fitted, fresh-cut and ready to drink.)
Where to stand it
- Away from heat - radiators, log burners and underfloor heating are the fastest way to brown a tree. Turn the nearest radiator down if you can.
- Out of strong, direct sunlight - a bright room is fine; a south-facing conservatory is not.
- Somewhere stable - away from door swings, dog tails and football-aged children.
The watering routine
Check the water every day - a fresh tree can drink more than a litre a day in week one. The only rule that matters: never let the water level drop below the base of the trunk. If the cut dries out, it seals, and no amount of top-up brings it back.
Ignore the folk remedies
Sugar, aspirin, vodka, lemonade - we hear them all at the pitch every year. Controlled tests keep reaching the same verdict: plain water, topped up daily, works as well as anything you can add to it.
Variety makes a difference too
If your tree has to be up for five-plus weeks, choose a Nordmann Fir - the original "non-drop" tree - or a Fraser Fir. A Norway Spruce has the best scent of all but likes a shorter stay: bring it home in December and be religious about the water.
And in January…
Don't drag it through the house to the tip - we'll collect and recycle it for £10 if you add collection at checkout.
How much water does a Christmas tree need?
A fresh-cut tree can drink over a litre a day in its first week indoors. Check the stand every day and never let the water level drop below the base of the trunk - once the cut dries out it seals over and stops drinking.
Should I cut the bottom off my Christmas tree?
If the tree has been out of water for more than a few hours, yes - saw a thin 1–2cm slice off the base just before it goes into water. If we deliver your tree with a water-retaining stand fitted, we've already done this for you.
Do sugar, aspirin or lemonade keep a tree fresh?
No - controlled tests repeatedly show plain water performs as well as any additive. The things that matter are a fresh cut, daily watering and keeping the tree away from heat.