Of course having a gorgeous, real Christmas tree in the corner of our living rooms is one of the best parts of Christmas but, if we’re all being very honest, those little pine needles that get embedded in our slippers somewhat dull our festive glow.
It’s miserable, it gets everywhere and man, none of us want to spend every other hour vaccuming when we could be marathoning the best films of the season and eating our weight in cheese.
Thankfully, as an early gift, Andrew Flynn, inventor of the self-watering origami plant pot, has shared tips on how to keep our Christmas tree thriving throughout the festive season – and slash your carbon footprint as well.
It’s a Christmas miracle!
How to keep your Christmas tree thriving all of December
Flynn said: “To make your Christmas more eco-friendly, choose a tree with roots so it can be replanted and reused next year, reducing waste and lowering its carbon footprint. It takes 3 kg CO2 to grow versus 16kg if you’re sending it to landfill.”
Keeping the same tree every year sounds SO sweet, oh my.
He explained: “You can’t replant a cut Christmas tree, so look for a containerised one: these have been transported with their root system so are still alive! You’ll need to make sure you keep them well watered. These trees are designed to grow in a pot, so you can keep using it year after year so long as you keep it healthy.”
If you’re ahead of the game and have already brought your tree home, don’t worry — he has tips for you, too: “For all Christmas trees, water and temperature are so important to keep them looking healthy throughout the festive period.
“Buy a stand with a large water capacity, as trees need about 3.5 litres. of water daily. You should also keep it away from all heat sources like radiators or space heaters to prevent the tree from drying out – if you have a type of Christmas tree that has less droppage, like Normand Fir, then you can prevent the messy clean-up from dropped pines.”
Finally, if you are heading out to buy your tree this weekend, Flynn recommends not bringing it straight to the living room as soon as you’ve purchased it, saying that it should be brought in gradually.
He advises: “If you have a shed, garage or enclosed porch, bring your potted tree there for a few days before bringing it inside to allow the branches to acclimatise. You don’t want to spend time nurturing a tree to have it crumble at the last pre-Christmas hurdle”.
This should also keep your tree thriving year after year. Love it.
Merry Christmas!