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RTEC Treecare

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5 Tips To Keep Your Christmas Tree Healthy

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We’ve talked about the importance of picking the right type of Christmas tree for your family but do you know what steps you need to take to keep your tree healthy while in your home? Keeping a real tree fresh during the holiday season requires a combination of a good setup and persistent care. Read on to learn what you can do to keep your Christmas tree healthy all the way to the new year! 

1. Keep It Hydrated

Your Christmas tree stand should always have water in it. Not giving the tree enough water is one of the biggest issues people run into when taking care of their Christmas trees. When Christmas trees lack the water they need they begin to dry out. This means brown and yellow needles that eventually start falling off of the tree. Keeping your tree hydrated will help it keep its color and reduce needle drop. It’s common for trees to take in a large amount of water one day and very little the next so it’s important to check your tree’s water at least twice a day and keep it topped off.  

If you let your tree stand run out of water at any time you run the risk of the tree sealing its base with sap. This drastically reduces the tree’s ability to absorb water. Meaning even if you add water back into the tree stand the tree may not be able to absorb enough water to keep it alive. 

2. Select The Correct Tree Stand

Selecting the correct tree stand is important because not only does it keep the tree stable, it can help you keep the tree properly hydrated. The National Christmas Tree Association suggests finding a tree stand that has a built-in reservoir that can hold at least a gallon of water. A good rule of thumb is that a Christmas tree stand should have room for one quart of water for every inch of the trunk’s diameter. So if your Christmas tree’s trunk measures 4 inches in diameter you would need a stand that holds one gallon of water. If it measures 6 inches in diameter you would need a stand that holds one and a half gallons of water. 

It’s also important to select a tree stand that fits the diameter of your tree. You should avoid whittling down the sides of the tree trunk down to fit a stand. The tree’s outer layers of wood are the best at absorbing water so whittling a tree trunk down to fit too small of a stand can create water absorption problems. 

3. Keep It Away From Heat

Placing a Christmas tree near a fireplace or heat vent is not only a fire hazard but it can also affect the health of the tree. Heat will cause the tree to lose more water through the pores in its needles which will cause it to dry out quicker. Placing a Christmas tree near heat or even a sunny window will result in it drying out, needles yellowing/browning, needle drop, and the tree dying faster than usual. 

Using older Christmas lights on your tree can also create this effect. Since older and bulky Christmas lights give off a lot of heat they themselves can dry out the tree. Our Arborists suggest purchasing LED Christmas lights instead since they produce less heat. 

4. Trim The Trunk

Before bringing your tree home or before placing it in its tree stand, make sure to make a fresh cut straight across the base of the tree trunk. Doing this will get rid of any dried resin that is blocking the tree from absorbing water. This step is extremely important for trees you purchase from Christmas tree lots and home improvement stores that have been precut and sitting around for a while. A lot of these retailers will make this cut for you as they bundle up your tree but it’s best to always double check it’s been done. If you went to a Christmas tree farm, cut your own tree, and brought it home immediately (under 3 hours from it being cut) you can skip this step and put the tree directly in water. 

5. Use A Humidifier

The ideal humidity for a Christmas tree is around 40 percent. If the room your Christmas tree is in lacks enough humidity it can cause the tree to lose more moisture through the pores in the tree’s needles. This will dry out the tree leading to yellowing/browning needles, needle drop, and premature death of the tree. You can use a digital hygrometer to check your room’s humidity. If it’s lower than 40 percent our Arborists suggest using a humidifier to increase the room’s humidity. Having the proper humidity will keep the tree healthy longer.   

Now that you know what steps to take you can keep your tree healthy and beautiful all season long. 

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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