7 Easy Steps to Avoid Christmas Tree Needle Drop

Although fake Christmas trees are becoming popular, there’s nothing quite like a freshly cut Christmas tree. Sure, the latter requires more maintenance and care, but if you do all the right things, you can be the proud owner of a fabulous Christmas tree!

One of the disadvantages of installing a living Christmas tree in the home is the infamous ‘needle drop’. Even the best fir and fir trees cannot escape. But there are ways you can minimize drop and increase your tree’s needle retention.

Are here 7 easy steps to prevent the needle from falling off the Christmas tree:

1. Choose your tree carefully. Ideally, choose a locally grown and sourced tree rather than one imported from abroad. The most important condition for selecting a tree is its needle retention properties. Popular preferences for a living Christmas tree are Norway spruce (traditional choice but with a fast needle drop rate); Nordmann fir (dark green and expensive, but also boasts a slow needle drop); Noble fir (the king of Christmas trees and again has a better needle drop record than Norway spruce); Fraser Fir (excellent needle holding properties and a lovely pine fragrance to boot and resembles Norway spruce).

2. Have it ‘shaken’ manually or mechanically at the place of purchase so you can judge for yourself the drop of the needle. This exercise also removes any insects, egg masses, or debris that may have accumulated on the tree. If green needles drop, avoid buying that particular tree. It simply means that this tree has been cut down quite a while ago and has lost most of its moisture.

3. Take it home. Avoid exposing the newly cut tree to the wind, as this can start the drying process even before the tree arrives home. If you can, try transporting it in your car or if you load it on a trailer, make sure you cover the top of the trailer.

4. After bringing the tree home, tap it on the ground to dislodge any needles that the tree naturally sheds anyway. This avoids a mess inside the house. Then cut back about an inch below the trunk. This opens up the pores and allows water to flow easily through the tree, keeping it fresher longer.

5. For best results, keep the tree in a cool place and delay entry as long as possible. Usually the weekend before Christmas is ideal. Until then keep it in a bucket of water and water it daily.

6. Avoid heat. Generally, Christmas trees are problem free trees even indoors as long as they are kept away from heat as this is the biggest enemy of a freshly cut tree. This includes radiators, fireplaces, and even warm lights, as they drain moisture from the needles and speed up the ‘dripping’ process.

7. Water it religiously. Put your Christmas tree on a special tree stand inside the house and make sure to water it every day. These evergreen trees require lots of water to stay hydrated and, well, always green! Even a low needle drop tree requires as much as a pint of water a day to stay cool during the holiday season. All Christmas trees require regular watering twice a day for the first week, after which they begin to use less water, but they still need it daily!

So, keep these tips in mind to minimize needle drop from your Christmas tree.