Needle moisture in unwatered trees diminishes significantly over time, while watered trees maintain needle moisture.īased on the research, he advises consumers to buy as fresh a tree as they can – or to cut their own tree – if they don’t enjoy sweeping needles. The research proved a direct correlation between needle retention and moisture content, Werner says. Werner’s team set out to study whether loss of a root system, combined with an unnatural indoor environment, would severely limit a cut Christmas tree’s biological functions, including water uptake, photosynthesis and transpiration. A tree farm donated 54 fresh-cut trees for a four-week study. So Werner and two students decided to document moisture loss in cut Christmas trees that were watered versus those that weren’t. But their wives would water the tree behind their back.” “Most of them, like me, said they didn’t. “For years, I asked plant physiologists around the country, ‘Do you water your Christmas tree?’ ” Werner says. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point associate professor of forestry never watered his own family’s Christmas trees because he reasoned trees stop photosynthesizing when they’re cut from their root systems. Werner for years thought that keeping water in the Christmas tree stand was pointless. Keep that fresh-cut fir or pine watered once you get it home, and you’ll be rewarded with fewer needles to sweep off the floor. If you’re heading to a Christmas tree farm, heed the research of tree scientist Les Werner and his students: Source: Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association If none of the trees on the lot look fresh, go to another lot. A good rule-of-thumb is, when in doubt about the freshness of a tree, select another one. Look for other indicators of dryness or deterioration: excessive needle loss, discolored foliage, musty odor, needle pliability and wrinkled bark.The needles on fresh pines do not break, unless they are very dry. Pines have different indicators because of the fibrous nature of their needles compared to firs. Green needles on fresh trees break crisply when bent sharply with the fingers, much like a fresh carrot. Consumers should ask the retailer when he/she gets the trees: Are they delivered once at the beginning of the season, or does he/she obtain several shipments during the season? Often, a tree obtained soon after its arrival on the retail lot will be very fresh because it was cut recently.Do not place it near a heat source such as a register, fireplace or window where direct sunlight hits it. Choose the location of your tree carefully.An 8-foot tree can often “drink” a gallon of water per day. Check your stand twice daily – especially in the first week – and add water as necessary.This will open the capillaries, which allow the tree to draw moisture up the trunk and into the needles. When you’re ready to place it in a stand, cut one inch or more off the trunk.If you cut a tree at a farm, keep it fresh when you get it home by laying it on the ground out of the sun and wind until you are ready to put it in your house.

Should i water my christmas tree