What to do with the Christmas tree after the New Year? We prolong the life of a coniferous beauty. What to do with the tree after the New Year holidays

The New Year holidays are coming to an end, the city is slowly removing the garlands, collecting artificial Christmas trees and throwing away the “alive” ones. What needs to be done so that the good New Year and Christmas miracle that is left to live on the tips of the needles of the holiday tree does not die among the garbage cans?

There are many interesting ideas for the further use of green beauties in the world. In Germany, for example, national wooden butter knives are made from old pine trees, which are then sold to tourists, and the Swedes rent forest beauties to city boiler houses, where they are burned for the benefit of everyone around them, in Austria, Christmas trees are crushed and pressed into fuel briquettes, in Canada turn into compost. In the US, Christmas trees are used to make cat litter.

We have selected for you the funniest and most interesting options for what you can do with "live" spruces and pines.

1.Will you make soap? Easily

How to make soap from a Christmas tree? To do this, we need: a transparent base, alcohol, essential oils, forms for solidification and a lot of needles that need to be ground in a coffee grinder.

We mix the ingredients, pour the resulting mass into a container with a soap base and mix, add 5-6 drops of fir oil and green dye, since without the use of additives the soap will be a yellowish-brown hue. Then the substance is poured into molds and sprayed with alcohol from a spray bottle. We are waiting for the soap to harden, use soap to your health! Handmade soap can be decorated with fir cones and needles. By the way, the essential oils contained in spruce and pine relieve headaches, relax and prevent colds.

2. Sachet - a memory of the New Year holidays

An aromatic sachet is a small bag filled with dried herbs, flower petals, sawdust, spices and spices, and essential oils. In addition to the branches of the Christmas tree, you can add orange peels, cinnamon or lavender to the sachet. For bags and pillows, it is better to take a small canvas, then the sachet will smell stronger.

3. Useful pine needle baths for stress relief and sound sleep

Coniferous baths perfectly diversify water procedures. Take one kilogram of needles and five liters of water. Boil thirty minutes. Get a natural and fragrant broth. Maximum relaxation is guaranteed. However, experts recommend limiting this procedure to 15 minutes. Baths with an infusion of needles, branches and cones of a Christmas tree will help relieve tension and stress, strengthen the heart, make the skin silky and contribute to a peaceful and sound sleep.

4. "Mr. Muscle" is relaxing, or washing the floor with natural ingredients

Try a natural floor cleaner that's easy to make in concentrate. We will need half a glass of soap shavings, a quarter cup of laundry soda, a glass of salt and two glasses of coniferous broth. We heat until the ingredients dissolve, cool and use when cleaning, for this we add 4 tablespoons to a bucket of water. It is also recommended to wash the floors again after the "pine" baths - with water and vinegar. Experienced housewives know that this is the best cleaner for laminate, linoleum, ceramic tile and vinyl flooring. If the floors are wooden, then their surface is most often covered with protective agents: wax, oil, varnish or paint. A vinegar solution cleans most of these coatings well, but it can completely wash off the wax. It is important that you cannot wash stone floors (marble, granite, slate, sandstone, etc.) with vinegar - you can damage the surface of the stone.

5. Decoction of needles - the secret of youth and beauty

Pine needles are the first helper in the beginning of a cold, it is rich in vitamins A and C, which are necessary to strengthen the protective functions of our body. To save these vitamins, the needles should not be boiled. For beauties, fallen New Year's needles will also be a wonderful find, since pine resin, which is preserved in branches and needles, returns a pleasant pink color and tenderness to skin suffering from winter dryness, wind and frost. To do this, it is enough to wash your face with a decoction only in the morning and in the evening.

From time immemorial, it was believed that a decoction of pine needles perfectly mobilizes the reserve funds of the body. Our ancestors treated them with everything: from beriberi to bronchitis. The decoction is easy to prepare: 3 tablespoons of needles are poured with a glass of boiling water, infused in a thermos for 2 to 10 hours, then the liquid is drained through a sieve, and honey and lemon are added to the resulting decoction to taste. Decoctions of pine branches and needles, along with rose hips and onion peel, keep the kidneys, nervous system in good shape and “cleanse” the blood vessels.

6. Elixir of health for indoor flowers

By the end of January, the hot dry air of the heating system can tint your green "gardens" with a dull yellow, to avoid this chagrin, an infusion of needles will help. To do this, arrange spruce branches and needles in three-liter jars, pour boiling water over them, let them brew for 3 days. Then boldly water the flowers. Infusion of needles will bring life to your favorite flowers.

7. Firewood for your sauna, stove or fireplace

If you live in a private house - this is ideal. Pine and spruce burn perfectly, they give a lot of heat and smell very pleasant at the same time. The needles emit an antiseptic aroma that is very beneficial for the respiratory system.

If you live in an apartment, collect fir branches and logs of the trunk in a large basket, tie them with a bright ribbon and present them as a gift to a friend who has a dacha or a bathhouse. Perhaps a pleasant continuation of the holiday in the steam room awaits you.

8. Food for fish

You are very lucky if there is a pond, lake or river with fish in the surrounding area, you can safely let the Christmas tree float freely. It will become not only food for fish, but also a good winter shelter and oxygen conductor for underwater inhabitants.

9. The most difficult way to save a tree

Are you a very patient person and love your native nature? Then the next option is just for you. A complex procedure for saving a green beauty is the rooting of a felled tree. Various sources on horticulture say that with the use of root stimulants, regular spraying and a comfortable temperature regime, it is quite possible to root a felled tree. But in practice, this is a laborious process. A tree planted in this way will need constant professional care.

10. The second life of needles - cuttings

It is not always possible to save or transplant a felled tree, then it is possible to give life to its individual cuttings. It is worth taking small (5-15 cm) annual twigs - they will make good cuttings. Cuttings of conifers have low rates, and most likely out of 40 cuttings 5 ​​will survive. By the way, of all conifers, spruce is best suited for cuttings.

P.S. We urge you to protect your native nature. Spruces and pines grow for more than one year before they are cut down, and do they really have to give their lives for the sake of a two-week holiday of people?

Three options that you can do next year to save green beauties:

1. Artificial tree

There are many advantages of using artificial Christmas trees for the New Year and Christmas, firstly, by buying such a Christmas tree or pine tree, you save money, since such a green beauty will last for more than one year, and secondly, you don’t have to worry and run around the Christmas tree bazaar , looking for "your" tree, thirdly, in this way, you will save at least one tree from death.

Unfortunately, a very large percentage of the population prefers to participate in the annual "weeding" of coniferous plantations. And it's time to get rid of the bad habit of destroying a tree every year. How do you think?

2. Buying a tree in a container with subsequent planting

In Borisov, it is becoming popular to sell seedlings of coniferous trees in containers. How to choose such a spruce? When buying, you need to pay attention to the breed, the size of the tree and the pot. The most winter-hardy and best adapted species are Siberian fir, Serbian spruce and Norway spruce. But the Canadian dwarf spruce Konika or such heat-loving conifers as cypress trees will overwinter no more than two or three years.

3. Christmas tree for rent - an offer for our forestry

In Russia, the “Yolka for rent” service is popular. After the return of the tree, the tenant receives 50% of its value back. If you want to keep it forever, then such a service also exists in Christmas tree rental companies. It is important that such a tree should be kept away from the fireplace, radiators and withstand the temperature regime, since coniferous trees (fir, fir, pine) do not like temperatures above +20 and can crumble. You also need to ventilate the room where the tree is located more often.

Soon, at the end of all the New Year and Christmas holidays, thousands of Christmas trees with fallen and yellowed needles will fill our yards and trash cans. At the sight of such a picture, perhaps, every gardener's heart bleeds. Therefore, today let's talk about how to save the Christmas tree until next Christmas by planting it in your garden.

In recent years, many vendors have been offering potted Christmas trees. So why not take advantage of such an offer and, in the end, after the holidays, when the tree has fulfilled its solemn mission, plant it in the garden? Let's see in detail, step by step, how to proceed. True, I cannot guarantee you one hundred percent that the tree will take root, but if you follow all the rules, your chances will increase significantly.

So, you are the happy owner of a New Year tree in a tub. Then look around your garden and find a good place where the tree can safely grow to a large size. Small potted Christmas trees need special care so they don't die after a successful planting in the garden.

Step 1 - watering and moisturizing

Beautiful coniferous trees in peas, which garden centers offer us, are often initially grown in open ground. And as soon as they grow to a certain size, they are dug out of the ground and transplanted into pots, while cutting the roots. That is why it is not so easy to give a second life to a potted spruce garden. In such a tree, the root system is usually damaged. The tub Christmas tree that decorates your home during the holidays needs abundant watering. The earth ball must be constantly evenly moistened. Drying out or waterlogging is unacceptable. Since the tree needs moist air, it is good to place a humidifier nearby or put a wide container of water, and spray the plant regularly. Water for irrigation and spraying is better to take separated, room temperature. In a heated room, any tree without harm to its health can be no longer than two weeks. You need to install it away from batteries and heaters, which increase the risk of drying out. For Christmas trees, the cooler the better.

Step 2 - transplant

At the end of the New Year and Christmas holidays, take the time to transplant your Christmas tree into another container. In order for a tree to grow and develop, its roots need much more space than was in the previous pot. The new container must be at least 10 centimeters larger than the previous one! At the same time, add fresh garden soil, press it gently around the plant with your hands and water. Attention: be careful with the roots, do not damage them! Don't cut anything! The plant will no longer withstand repeated pruning of the roots.

There must be drainage holes in the bottom of the new container. The plant needs a lot of water, but stagnant moisture in the pot can be detrimental to him. During transplantation, it is recommended to add fertilizer for coniferous plants to the substrate, which provides the tree with adequate nutrition with the necessary elements at all stages of growth and development.

Step 3 - the correct temperature regime

A tree transplanted into a new container should not be in the apartment all winter. Unfortunately, this is not a houseplant, and it needs fresh, cool air and plenty of light. Therefore, your green beauty should definitely be put out on the street, but for this it needs to be prepared. Just imagine what a shock a plant will receive if from a warm apartment, where the air temperature is about + 21 ° C, you immediately take it to the garden, where minus temperatures prevail day and night! As a rule, spruces are frost-resistant plants, but they cannot stand a sharp temperature drop, however, like any other plant.

Therefore, after transplanting spruce into a larger pot or tub, arrange acclimatization by placing it, for example, in a garage (provided, of course, that it has a window), a barn or an unheated greenhouse. In a word, in a room where the air temperature does not exceed + 5 ° С - + 10 ° С. Thus, the plant will slowly get used to low temperatures. After two weeks, the Christmas tree can be transferred to the garden by wrapping the pot with hay or straw so that the root system, which is vulnerable to cold, does not freeze.

Step 4 - Add Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate

Two weeks after transplantation, it is recommended to feed the Christmas tree with magnesium sulfate heptahydrate. This fertilizer prevents browning of the needles, which often occurs with a lack of magnesium. Magnesium sulfate, also known as Epsom salts, is usually available as a powder, which is then diluted with water, or in granules. To avoid overdosing, simply follow the general recommendations on the fertilizer packaging.

Step 5 - transplanting a Christmas tree from a pot to the garden

And only in the spring, when the plants are not threatened by frost, can the tree be transplanted from the pot into the garden, to a permanent place. To do this, as usual when planting trees, you need to prepare a pit, slightly larger in size than an earthen clod.

Since the tree needs a large amount of water, pour a watering can of water into the hole first. The bottom and side walls of the landing pit should be well moistened. Then place the tree in the hole so that the root neck is left at ground level, straighten the roots and cover them with earth, into which it is first recommended to mix the fertilizer for coniferous plants again.

In the first two weeks, the most important thing for a young Christmas tree is water. Water your tree regularly so that the soil never dries out.

Form a side along the perimeter of the pit, then the water during irrigation will linger inside the side, and not spread to the sides.

After watering, it is advisable to mulch the soil in the near-stem circle.

Attention! Choose the right location

Since many of us choose spruce as a New Year's tree, we will talk about this type of tree. Before transplanting a tree into the garden, you must be aware of the fact that firs grow to quite large sizes. Therefore, the question of choosing a place for planting a New Year's tree in the garden must be approached thoughtfully.

Please note that coniferous trees annually gain 20-30 cm in height, so that a miniature tree at first will turn into a stately beautiful spruce in a few years. In general, most varieties of Christmas trees prefer to grow in bright sunlight or in partial shade on nutritious and well-drained, acidic soils, do not tolerate salinity, dryness and stagnant water in the root collar area. The root system of Christmas trees is superficial, so they do not like soil compaction.

Alternative option - planting a Christmas tree in the forest

If your garden isn't big enough to fit a Christmas tree, why not transplant it out of the pot and into the woods? This will be an excellent opportunity to get together with the whole family and spend time in nature, as well as on the eve of the next New Year with your children, grandchildren or good hands to visit your own Christmas tree.

Pruning spruce branches

A young tree properly pruned and shaped early in life will require minimal pruning in its mature years. Pruning stimulates branching, making the spruce more dense and compact. For this procedure, you will need, for example, brush cutters with wavy blades. New bright green needles are formed at the tops of the shoots, so spruce branches should not be cut too much. Regular pruning is carried out only when the tree is firmly established on the site. Heavily pruned branches, as a rule, quickly die off, young needles no longer form on them.

By following the rules of planting and further care, you will be able to watch how your young Christmas tree turns into a stately beautiful spruce every year, which, in its evergreen dress, will decorate the garden all year round and give it a unique personality. In addition, the seeds under the scales of the cones are a real delicacy for birds and squirrels in the difficult winter period.

Hopefully these tips will help you grow your own Christmas tree!

The festive season of January usually ends with the meeting of the Old New Year. After it, decorations are gradually removed from the Christmas tree and hidden until the next holiday. Orphaned trees are trying to immediately (and sometimes closer to February) take out into the street and leave them, along with household garbage, near the entrances. From the pitiful sight of crumbling and dried up Christmas trees, it becomes sad and many with a sigh pass by the ruined living trees that have become a victim of a New Year's whim. However, the Christmas tree can be “tormented” a little more, or at least thrown away with benefit.

Disposal

Despite the declared fight for the environment, in most regions of the CIS there are no points for the collection and disposal of coniferous trees. This problem is especially relevant for residents of large cities. After the celebrations in megacities, thousands of useless fir trees remain, which cover courtyard areas with a solid green carpet.

In some cities, this problem is solved in different ways. In some places, spruces are left in specially designated areas, where they rot and turn into useful fertilizer. In others, conifers are sent to spruce crushers that immediately turn the trees into mulch or fertilizer.

Western countries have been concerned about this problem for a long time and successfully solve it, however, in each country in its own way. In Austria and the UK, sites for the collection of fir trees are open for several weeks in January. After that, they all go to the sawmill and are used by public utilities for their own purposes. In Canada, flu medicine is made from recycled pine needles. Swedes and Finns use spruces as additives for cosmetics and use all New Year's garbage as fuel for local boilers. Recycled trees are reused as cat litter or other wood products. Sometimes the needles are fed to animals, because it is so rich in vitamin C, the deficiency of which is felt especially acutely in winter.

Therefore, ask if there are collection or disposal points for fir trees in your city. Perhaps, on some day, public utilities announce a “single collection day”, on which you can bring a withered “forest beauty” and hand it over for processing. At the same time, you will not litter the surrounding space and get rid of the Christmas tree as efficiently as possible. In addition, you can burn the tree yourself during the next trip to barbecue, for example.

Transfer

If you cannot or do not want to part with the New Year symbol, why not give it a second life? The tree will make an excellent hiding place for birds during the next cold winter months. And if you decide to hang lard, apples, feeders with nuts or seeds on it, the birds will be eternally grateful to you.

If you bought spruce in a tub, after the holidays you can try to transplant it into the garden. But at the same time, do not forget to follow a few important rules.

In winter, coniferous trees are in a state of partial suspended animation. When transplanting, it is important not to disturb this fragile natural “sleep”.

Spruce should not be placed near radiators or other heat sources, since wintering in the cold for a plant is a common thing.

If you are concerned that the tree may come out of suspended animation prematurely, it is best to keep it between -5°C and 5°C.
If the tree will be in an isolated area, it is important to water it every day to keep the root ball moist.

By analogy with the world of people, young and small spruces are easier to experience the "stress" associated with their transplant. After the holidays, it is advisable to put the Christmas tree on a glazed balcony (although the tree may not survive the harsh winter there), after wrapping the pot with a blanket or blanket - this will protect the roots from freezing.

Transplantation is usually done no earlier than February and no later than April. First, a hole is prepared on the site, the dimensions of which should exceed the size of the root ball by 20-30 cm. At the bottom, drainage is laid from layers of broken brick and sand 15-20 cm thick. peat in the ratio 2:1:1. When planting, about 100 g of nitroammophoska are added.

Spruce does not tolerate dry soil. Therefore, in the hot summer, you will have to water it at least once a week, spending up to 12 liters of water. Mulching with peat is mandatory; after wintering, the peat layer is not removed, but mixed with the ground.

Use of spruce for other purposes

If you want to use more of the tree in a whole new way, here are a few tips.

Using parts of the trunk as a stand or base for wood crafts

You have probably seen or held original coasters made of natural wood more than once. They are made from many small "circles" glued together. Cutting a thin tree into many small plates is not difficult.

Spruces with a decent coverage (10 cm or more) can become the basis for separate individual coasters for mugs, which can then be presented to friends and relatives. Don't worry about the rings not being perfectly straight, they can be sanded by hand or with a grinder. If desired, you can even burn some pattern on the stand with a wood burner.

In addition, you have the opportunity to have fun and show your imagination in wood modeling.

Making a sachet

Application is found not only for the trunk, but also for needles. If you want to keep the charming charm of coniferous aroma for the whole next year, then you should make an aromatic sachet.

To do this, you will need the maximum number of needles and several pieces of fabric to sew a bag out of them. Collect the needles from your tree in a bowl. Sew two identical pieces of fabric and leave a small gap between them. Next, turn it inside out and fill it with needles, and then sew up a small hole. Now you have a great handmade gift, as well as laundry fragrance and insect repellent.

potpourri of fragrances

After the New Year holidays, not only live spruce trees remain, but also the peel from tangerines and lemons (or their half-eaten parts), nut shells, and remnants of seasonings. All this can be filled in a small glass jar, adding along the way cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg. Thus, you will get a bright mix of smells with a relaxing effect.

The use of needles for water procedures

Among adherents of alternative medicine, one of the most useful methods of cleansing the body is a pine bath. As soon as you decide to improve your health after the protracted holidays, try pouring boiling water over the branches, cones and individual needles of spruce, let them brew and add to your evening bath. This will provide a surge of strength, calm the nervous system, cleanse the skin and blood vessels and return the forgotten lightness to the body.

If the Christmas tree has been preserved in excellent condition, you can make something from its branches that many bath lovers will envy. A coniferous broom is a test for real men, because its branches, even cut from young fir trees, are very prickly and tough.

To soften such a broom, you need to carefully steam it in boiling water. This usually takes at least half an hour in hot water with the lid closed. But after steaming, a magical aroma spreads through the bath, which relaxes those present and has a beneficial effect on the respiratory system. In skillful hands, coniferous brooms turn into universal healers. They treat allergies, gout and rheumatism, eliminate excessive sweating.

Healing decoction of pine needles

Closer to winter, the content of vitamin C in pine needles increases. In addition, the needles have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, analgesic, choleretic and other effects. No one, even the most perfect tablet, will provide you with something like this. Pine needles are advised as a prophylactic against most diseases known to mankind.

We will not list all possible recipes and methods for preparing various infusions, decoctions and drinks. Just know that you have a universal doctor in your room who is ready to help with any illness. It's stupid to throw it in the trash.

No matter how much you want to prolong the holidays and the New Year's atmosphere, but the long January weekend inevitably ends, and with them it's time to free the apartment from shiny tinsel and the New Year tree.

It’s easy to remove an artificial Christmas tree - I took off the toys, disassembled the tree, put it in a box and hid it until next year. And if a “live” spruce has become the symbol of the new year in your house, then it is insanely a pity to part with it, and even more so, you don’t raise your hand at all to take it to the trash. After all, I remember how carefully you chose a New Year tree, dressed it up, and it delighted you with its beauty and inspired you with a coniferous aroma. But, unfortunately, the age of a cut Christmas tree is not long. And yet, do not rush to say goodbye to the Christmas tree, but find a useful use for it.

What are the methods of disposal?

Different countries have their own ways of disposing of the Christmas tree. For example, in some parts of Europe, fir trees that have served their mission are used in furniture factories or sent to boiler houses. In addition, compost plants operate in European countries, for which the discarded Christmas trees are the raw material. In the UK, in January-February, specialized Christmas tree collection points are opened, where the British can deliver a Christmas tree on their own or call a car to their home. From the reception points, spruce is sent to the production of fertilizers or allowed for the manufacture of animal feed. For example, the inhabitants of local zoos are already accustomed to the winter menu "with the taste of pine needles." Pine needles contain vitamin C, and therefore are useful for nutrition.

In Russia, the humane disposal of Christmas trees is not yet very developed. Reception points are organized only in some cities. Also, Russians use the services of cleaning companies that offer to take out a Christmas tree for a fee, which is subsequently burned at some enterprise. Some zoos near Moscow accept used spruces for processing for feed. However, your tree will be accepted if it is free of tinsel and has not been chemically treated, as chemicals can harm animals.

But what to do if in your city there is no zoo, no collection point, or other ways to dispose of New Year trees? Do not despair! There are some interesting ideas for using Christmas tree needles!

Coniferous baths

Pine bath is an excellent relaxing remedy after a hard day's work. To prepare a bath, you need to make a decoction. Pour one glass of needles with one liter of boiling water and put on fire for 10 minutes. Strain the decoction through a sieve to free it from the needles, and pour it into a bath of warm water. It is recommended to take a coniferous bath for 10-20 minutes.

In addition, the same decoction can be used to rinse the hair. To do this, add a couple of drops of tea tree essential oil to part of the decoction. Rub into hair roots and leave for 10 minutes. Then rinse with plain water.

Body Scrub

You can please your skin and give it smoothness with the help of a natural coniferous scrub. To prepare it, take pine needles, tangerine peels and ordinary sea salt. Pine needles and mandarin peels need to be ground in a coffee grinder in a ratio of 1: 1, and then sea salt is added to this composition. Before applying the body scrub, add some warm water to the mixture.

Aroma in the house

Surely you know what incense sticks are. You can prepare coniferous incense yourself. Collect the needles left from the Christmas tree, grind a handful of needles in a coffee grinder, and then mix with a little water. Make a cone out of thick paper and stuff it with chopped pine needles. The mixture should dry and harden. So you get a wonderful incense stick that you can set on fire and enjoy the coniferous aroma!

Note to summer residents

The Christmas tree, which decorated the house in the new year, will find its application in the country. Spruce can be used not only to kindle a fireplace or stove in a house, but also to support plants. Also, spruce chips will protect the garden from weeds, they just need to sprinkle the ground. In addition, the needles will serve as an excellent remedy for insect pests. Pine and deciduous needles repel wireworms and bears that “eat” potatoes.

We strengthen immunity

Coniferous decoction or infusion is very beneficial for health and immunity.

For example, for colds and coughs, it is useful to take half a glass of infusion before meals. To prepare it, fill a glass of pine needles with one liter of water and boil. You can take it in a day.

The second recipe is more complicated, but also useful. Grind the needles in a coffee grinder, add a little boiled water so that the ratio of pine needles and water is 1:10. Add a little citric acid or lemon to the mixture to make the drink sour. Boil the solution for half an hour, and then leave for three hours. Strain and drink half a glass twice a day after meals.

In such simple ways, you will not only save the spruce from a blasphemous stay in a garbage dump, but also find a useful use for coniferous needles and branches. So the Christmas tree can give the mood for the New Year, and extend it for a long time.