Brush your hand on your Christmas tree and see what happens. I would bet money that the needles fall.
Ever since I’ve had Christmas trees, dusting the ground with needles has been part of the experience – along with the slight irritation that comes from touching something sharp.
Several years ago, after researching how to keep a wreath from drying out, it occurred to me that the same things that would keep a wreath from drying out might also keep a tree from drying out. Enter: humidifiers.
I sacrifice running my humidifier in my bedroom for my house plants instead of running it in the living room for the Christmas tree.
How to keep your tree soft with a humidifier
The key to keeping your tree soft with a humidifier is the right humidifier. The first year I tried it, I had a bad humidifier. Its settings included ON and OFF, and it was too small for the room. I turned on the humidifier and the part of the tree that was closest to it was very soft, but the rest of the tree was as dry as a bad scone.
Dreo 4L Smart Humidifier
Amazon
The second year I tried this trick, I had a Dreo humidifier (it also works). Spruce’s Best Humidifiers List,
This is a smart humidifier. I connected it to my phone and through the app, I could set a target humidity level. The app said humidity above 40% was dry, and humidity above 60% was wet. I went with 50% and set it to auto. This will run long enough to maintain the humidity in the room at a minimum of 50%.
Touch my Christmas tree, and all you feel is soft. This is exactly what you want to feel when you think about grazing needles while hanging jewelry. When I touch the tree nothing breaks; The needles do not fall with the slightest movement.
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why it works
The reason this trick works is simple: it’s science. If you’ve ever looked closely at a well-watered houseplant, you may have noticed droplets of moisture at the tips of the leaves. Plants (and trees) lose moisture from their leaves. Your tree is losing moisture through its leaves.
Watering it is not the only way to provide moisture to your Christmas tree (especially at certain points). This will stop drinkingYou can also deliver moisture through the needles by increasing the humidity.
You don’t want to turn up the humidity so high that the needles get wet and start dripping, so it’s best not to point the humidifier directly at the tree (the top of the Dreo is adjustable so you can direct the mist where you want). Set it up a few feet away and it will be just fine.
Other ways I keep my Christmas tree healthy
Another thing you can do to care for your tree is set it up for successTake freshly cut tree so that it can absorb maximum amount of water. I made my stand I buy my tree in advance before I buy it and I buy my tree as close to my home as possible, so that the time between the tree being freshly cut and it going into the water is as short as possible.
Try to place your tree in a location that is not near a window. Due to direct sunlight falling on the tree from the window, the tree dries rapidly. I live in a small apartment so I only have one choice as to where to put my tree, and unfortunately it’s in a window, but I keep the curtain drawn all month to give it a little shade.
And make sure to refill its water frequently so that it does not run out. A Christmas tree won’t last forever, but these steps — along with a great humidifier — will help it last through the holiday season.
