On the eve of the New Year, many people buy fresh spruce and pine trees. But few know the simple rules to make the right choice of a New Year tree and keep its freshness and integrity for as long as possible. A Christmas tree in the house is an indispensable attribute of the New Year holidays. And how our children are waiting for her! Probably, they have already begun to prepare homemade toys and chains from colored paper, so that later they can decorate the Christmas tree and dress up with other purchased Christmas tree decorations.
Someone prefers an artificial spruce, while others want a real tree with a wonderful pine scent in the house.
How to choose the right Christmas tree so that later it can stand for a long time and not disappoint the household? The tips below will help you make the right choice.
Which tree to buy?
Canadian and Danish spruce
grown especially for the New Year holidays, as they are very beautiful and crumble less in a warm room. Danish spruces can stand fresh for even three months!
Blue spruce
they will look very great and will stand for a long time. These spruces are better pubescent, their structure is strong, and needles with a wax coating will not crumble for a long time in a warm room.
Most people still prefer to buy pine, and quite justifiably - she will stand well in the house for a month and will not drop needles during this time. The choice in favor of pine is made mainly by lovers of taking out a New Year's tree in spring. And its branches grow upward, so you don't have to worry that the toys will slide to the floor.
How to choose the right tree?
Pay attention to the cut of the trunk: the tree will not stand for long if there is a dark border on the cut, the width of which may be several centimeters.
Try to hit the tree trunk on the ground: the needles should not crumble, then this spruce is really fresh and will stand for a long time.
Pay attention to the branches of the tree: they should be elastic and easy to bend, if they break and crunch immediately, then the spruce was felled a long time ago. Try to rub a few needles in your fingers: an oily mark should remain on the skin and a characteristic fragrant smell of spruce should appear.
On the way home, you should tie the tree with twine so that as few needles as possible fall off from it. When you carry it, carry it with the top back so that the lower branches cannot fall off.
What can be done to make the tree stand longer?
If the tree was bought long before the New Year, then you should keep it in the cold. Before you bring it into a warm room, it is worth holding it for several hours on a loggia or a cold balcony. In order for the dried needles to fall off, you can knock the tree trunk on the floor.
If it is not stored in frost, then about 2 days before installation, the end of the barrel should be lowered into a bucket filled with water with the addition of 3-4 tablespoons of glycerin.
In order for it to stand as long as possible, it is recommended to install it in a bucket of wet sand. This will be the most ideal option. Add a liter of water with glycerin or gelatin to a bucket of clean sand, or you can use aspirin tablets with two tablespoons of sugar instead. Place the tree so that the bottom of its trunk is at least 20 centimeters covered with wet sand. After 1-2 days, the sand should be watered.
You can also wrap a damp cloth around the barrel where it was cut and moisten it periodically.
Peel the bark 8-10 centimeters from the tree trunk and peel it off with a sharp knife to open fresh pores.
To preserve the freshness of the tree for a long time, spray the branches from a spray bottle from time to time.
Use a stand or a sturdy deep vessel to support the tree. Reinforce the trunk with braces, wooden planks, and an ordinary rope. Cover the top with crepe paper, cloth, or tinsel.
