As we near closer to Christmas, everyone is getting their trees up. If you are undecided on whether you want a real tree or a fake tree due to the safety of your little ones, you will want to read this first! Miracle-Gro® has sponsored this post to share Live Christmas Tree Safety Tips with you. These tips will help you decide if a real tree is for you, and if it is, just how to care for it!
Live Christmas Tree Safety Tips
When you start to entertain the idea of bringing a live Christmas tree into your home, you have to also ask yourself many questions such as, “Do I have the time to care for a live tree?”. You need to understand that caring for a live tree is far different from decorating a fake tree and calling it a day. However, live trees to me seem much more festive and really make your home smell amazing! So let’s talk about some safety tips.
- It starts with the right tree. Once you’ve decided to purchase a live Christmas tree, it’s about choosing the right one. You need to select a healthy one and select one that will thrive in your home. There are many different Christmas trees and any tree farmer should be able to tell you the difference between them. When we chose ours, we chose one that was a lighter green color. It meant it was a younger and healthier tree and easier to care for.
- Anchor the tree. If you are planning on placing your tree near a wall, then you can easily anchor the tree using a rope and some long screws. This is in addition to use a tree stand. The rope is hidden but helps keep it from falling over onto kids or pets. You can also do what we did and purchase a smaller tree so if it were to fall, it wouldn’t really hurt anyone since it isn’t heavy. Heavy presents in front of a tree also create a barrier to keep kids and pets away from the tree.
- Keep flammables away. Wood burns and we all know this so isn’t unreasonable to know that you need to keep any heat sources away from your live tree. Items like candles, fires, heaters, etc. should all be away from the live tree.
- Water daily. You wouldn’t go a day without giving water to your kids or pets right? The same goes for a live tree. It needs water to stay hydrated and not dry out so make sure you water your tree daily. Replace water whenever you see the level go down.
- Inspect lights thoroughly. I suggest using new lights for every live tree but make sure you always inspect them. Look for any exposed wires or broken lights that can be a fire hazard.
- Use lighter ornaments. Branches on real trees are more fragile. You can keep your tree healthy and keep it from falling over by avoiding heavy decorations. We used the plastic ornaments that are light in weight. You can also use ornaments with string instead of the metal hooks. These are also great options when you allow your kids to help decorate the tree too!
- Turn them off while you sleep. ALWAYS turn off the Christmas tree lights when you are away from your home or are sleeping. It will help prevent lights from overheating and causing a fire.
- Keep needles off the ground. Did you know that the #1 consumer dissatisfaction with live Christmas Trees is needle drop? Not only do they cause a mess but it isn’t good for pets or small children to eat them. So you want to have a way to lessen the chance of these falling all over your home and Miracle-Gro® for Christmas Trees is here to help. More details below.
Keep Christmas Trees Merry and Bright with Miracle-Gro®
As I mentioned above, the number one reason most people are not interested in live Christmas trees is the needle drop. Although, you can’t stop a real tree from losing its needles, you can help prevent them from falling sooner and less often.
Miracle-Gro® for Christmas Trees helps keep tree hydrated to reduce needle drop throughout the holiday season (vs. water only). Plus, it’s easy to use!
You just add 1 capful (2 tsp) of Miracle-Gro® for Christmas Trees for every quart of water added to your tree throughout the holiday season. Ensure 2” of your Christmas tree trunk is always immersed in water and then wah-la you have a happy and healthy tree through the holiday season! It even comes in a bottle that looks like an ornament, so festive!
If you want to learn more about Miracle-Gro® for Christmas Trees, check out their website or watch this helpful video.
What are your best tips for caring for a live Christmas tree?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro. The opinions and text are all mine.
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