The holiday season is drawing to a close, Christmas is over, gifts have been unwrapped, cookies have been eaten, and the only thing left behind is garland and Christmas lights. With the first week of January already over, you’re probably setting a date to take down your tree, if you have not already.
If you have a plastic tree, you can just take it apart and shove it to the back of your attic or storage area and not think about it until next year. If you have a live tree, taking it down takes a little more thought than its plastic counterpart. But just because a live tree takes more effort than your average pre-tinselled fake tree, doesn’t mean you can’t get some return on investment instead of throwing it away.
So when your tree starts shedding pine needles all over the floor, you can always drag your tree to the trash. Or you can make a home for fish.
Get rid of Your Tree
We compiled a few ways to get rid of your Christmas tree without outright tossing your tree into the trash. You can make your tree more than just an expensive decoration for a couple of weeks while at the same time improving your lawn.
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch
If you’re tired of your tree, mulch it and put it in your yard. You can spread the chippings around other trees, in your flower bed, or throughout the lawn as good fertilizer.
Help Your Perennials
Your perennials can always use a little bit of help. Trim off some of your Christmas trees branches and lay them over your perennials to protect them from future frosts. Pine boughs help moderate the temperature around the plant, and by spring the branches should be deteriorated.
Homes for Fish
If you don’t want to do anything with your tree, but you still want it gone- make a fish home. Toss your tree into a pond with fish, and you’re done. Some Missouri Conservation Departments are accepting your Christmas trees (undecorated) which they’ll toss into a fish pond for you, for free. [1]
Notes:
- ^“Donate Christmas trees to wildlife at MDC Central Regional Office drop-off site.” Missouri Department of Conservation, 7 Jan. 2019, mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/donate-christmas-trees-wildlife-mdc-central-regional-office-drop-site. (go back ↩)
