Christmas Tree Trimming
Level:
Beginner
How-To:
Christmas Decor
Seasonal Event:
Christmas
TOOLS NEEDED FOR TREE TRIMMING:
- Pruners (different sizes for large branches and small for finetuning)
- Garden shears for overall shaping of tree
- Twine if it is helpful to visualize the tiers you want to create
- Floral wire and pipe cleaners to connect branches together where there may be a gap or to reinforce a stem that is weak
- Lazy Susan for tabletop trees or strong plant dolly for large trees for spinning around
TIPS FOR TREE TRIMMING:
- Always start from the top.
- Cut off any stems that are competing with your main central leader trunk- this is where the star goes.
- Using gardening shears, remove any stems that protrude from the clean pyramid shape
- Before cutting and creating a tier, carefully examine the tree and make sure the tier you want to create has even branches around the tree
- You can pre-plan your design before cutting by marking the tiers with twine as a guideline or not.
- Work slowly and carefully and trim stems that are sticking up or down from the tier you are shaping. Review from all sides before going on to the next tier
- Check the next tier from all sides to make sure it has even stemmed all around with no gaps and create a new tier.
- Repeat as you move down the tree.
- Take your time and step back to get a good look at tree from every angle before moving down
- If you cut too much and leave a gap, use your floral wire to connect stems on a tier and close the gap. You can also use a green pipe cleaner to wrap around a weak stem that is needed to shape the tier.
