By Ed Chatterton
The owner of Britain’s biggest Christmas tree farm has revealed the secret behind maintaining the perfect festive fir is watering it with – lemonade.
Toby Ryley runs Friezeland Christmas Tree Farm in Warwickshire which sees visitors flocking from across the country each year to their 100 acre site featuring 300,000 trees.
The family-run farm has now been serving families for 40 years since 1985 and sells tens of thousands of trees which have each been grown from seed for around 10 years.
Toby, 38, has now revealed what he believes makes the perfect Christmas tree and his tips for keeping it looking full for the entire festive period.
He says the key is in the freshness and also giving the branches a sugar boost by using a splash of fizzy pop, such as lemonade.
Toby said: “Putting lemonade or a sugary drink in with the water can give it a boost – as it can help the uptake of water once the tree is cut.
“It’s like with flowers, sugar helps give them energy, it is providing the tree with something it wants.
“By adding lemonade this could help keep the tree fuller and prevent the needles from dropping for longer.
“You could even just put some sugar in the water or any fizzy drink will do, but I find lemonade works well.”
He also advises families always cut off an inch from the bottom before placing their tree in the base as well as banging it on the floor to remove excess needles.
Toby added: “The biggest problem is that once a tree is cut it can close up and the stump stops accepting water.
“The most important thing you can do when you get your new tree is take an inch off the bottom as this opens the stump up again to absorb water.
“I suggest also raising the tree about 12 inches off the ground and bang it downwards to remove all the excess needles – it helps reset the branches.
“Also ensure it is kept away from fires and radiators and in the coldest possible room in the house, if you can.”
The massive farm – which is around the size of 56 football pitches – features rows upon rows of Norway spruces, Nordmann firs, Blue spruces, Fraser firs and Noble firs.
The 15 strong team spend the entire year tending to their huge crop after seeing a demand for real Christmas trees grow dramatically in recent years post Covid.
The British Christmas Tree Association now estimates that around five to eight million real trees are sold every year.
Toby added: “Nordmann first remain the most popular choice but a long way but the type of tree seems to be down to personal preference.
“Some of the trees customers pick blow my mind and they often opt for a thinner tree to a fuller one.
“But it’s all in the eye of the beholder really and as long as the tree is fresh then you can’t go too wrong.
“That is 90 per cent of what I would encourage – buy somewhere which grows them so you know the trees are only a couple of days old.
“If you use supermarkets and some major retailers the trees have already been sitting there for three to four weeks.
“People are going for the more natural tree, you get a better smell with it, they look better, and picking the tree just starts the festive experience early.
“You also want it as symmetrical as possible, well-layered, but with gaps between the layers for tinsel.”
Second generation farmer Toby runs the business with his brother Ben after it was originally diversified into a Christmas tree farm by their father in the 80s.
It soon grew from a site of 500 trees to 300,000 making it the biggest pick your own Christmas tree farm in Britain.
Growing the perfect tree is a 10-year process according to Toby, who says his trees need nurturing all year round to keep them up to scratch.
Toby added: “Realistically, it’s non-stop all year. What most people don’t realize is that its a 10 year cycle from planting to you getting a 7ft tree in your house.
“We have just planted another 32,000 trees which will be ready in 10 years time.”
