(Milford, Del.)- While some families choose a real tree each year others tend to shy away because of the hassle.
Colin Walls, Owner of Yuletide Tree Farm in Milford, shares five simple ways to make caring for a tree easier:
1. Water the tree daily. If the tree stays hydrated less needles will fall off the tree.
2. You can tell your tree needs water if the needles are frail and fall off when you touch them. Do not wait until the needles turn brown to water the tree.
3. Yuletide Tree Farm sells Tree Funnels for $8 dollars. The funnels make watering the tree quick and easy. You will no longer have to place your head into the tree to reach the water on the bottom.
4. Give the tree nutrients. Nutrient packs are available at most tree farms and help the tree last longer.
5. Use a tree bag underneath the tree to make removing the tree from your home easier. The bag collects all of the needles under the tree and ensures nothing will fall onto the floor as you carry the tree out of your home.
Walls suggests recycling the tree once you are ready to remove the tree from the home. The tree can be recycled into mulch and re-used in the environment.
"You can go to DNREC's website and they've got a list of different places that it can be recycled. But you must remove all of the ornaments and make sure there is no tinsel left on it or hooks from the ornaments because that doesn't need to be in the environment," Walls said.