Christmas is over, and as such, so is the lifespan of that once beautiful, aromatic, real Christmas tree you purchased at one of our Moon Valley Nurseries tree lots. Now, you might be thinking that you can just place it on the curb, especially if your city has curbside collection programs, which, let’s face it, is probably the easiest option, or you can consider some of these environmentally friendly ways to recycle your Christmas tree! After all, real trees are biodegradable so that they can be easily re-purposed and recycled for mulch and other purposes.

Even if your New Year’s resolution is not about doing your part in helping to care for our environment, you can still feel good about recycling or re-purposing the tree. The environment will thank you and so will your neighbors, who might be tired of looking at those sad-looking Christmas trees on the sidewalk.

Mulch

Yep, mulch, it’s good for trees and is especially useful in our areas that have not received much rain. Adding mulch may minimize the need for watering because it holds moisture into the ground. If you’ve got a chipper, you’ve got a head start! Remove the branches and place them in the chipper so that you can make mulch to use in your landscape. You can even save money because homemade mulch can last up to two years! Combine the homemade mulch with our specialized Moon Valley Fertilizer products, and you can have plants and trees thrive all year long!

Tip: In some areas with tree recycling/mulching programs, the tree will not only be recycled, but it can also be turned into a bag of mulch – win, win!

Create a Bird Feeder

Do you love Songbirds, Chickadees, and other birds? So do we! Create a bird feeder by sticking a whole Christmas tree into the ground! You can even leave it on the stand. No matter which method you use, the entire family will love the sight of birds enjoying the natural bird sanctuary. One great way to attract a variety of birds is by adding goodies such as cranberries, popcorn strings, and stale bread. Don’t worry, within a year the branches will become so brittle that you can easily break the tree apart by hand. The birds may miss it, but hey, there’s always next year!

Let Your Creativity Shine!

Perhaps you fancy yourself a woodworking hobbyist? If so, then you can cut thin slabs off the trunk and make coasters! We recommend sanding them down, making them nice and smooth, and then applying a thin coat of polyurethane so that it can keep the sap off tables and glassware, and voila, you’ve got some homemade coasters! You can also cut off the branches so that you can use the trunk to edge a garden.

Curbside Collection Programs

Curbside collection programs are ideal because one, you don’t really need to do much, just place your tree on the curb and two, many of these programs will turn your tree into usable mulch for use in city parks, schools, and more. And since you aren’t driving around looking for the nearest drop-off recycling center, you won’t be burning gas!

You know what you should never do? Never burn your Christmas tree in an indoor fireplace or wood stove!

Plant More Trees!

Christmas may be over, but that doesn’t mean the gift giving needs to stop. In fact, planting more trees and plants can be a gift to our environment! Moon Valley Nurseries has got you covered whether you are looking to replace the trees and plants the builders chose or you are looking to remodel your yard. We’ve got the greatest selection of premium trees and other plants as well as professional landscape design consultations available for free at any of our nurseries! Give yourself the gift of a beautiful new landscape!