If you want to have a real Christmas tree, why not rent it?

Real Christmas trees do not have to end up in rubbish bins after Christmas. Správa Mestskej Zelene (Administration of City Greenness) in Košice is offering 100 living spruces in plant pots for rent.

As head of the gardens, Peter Vrábel said for the RTVS public broadcaster, that customers will be able to get trees from December 17, but if someone decides to have such a tree, they must follow the rules. The tree cannot be placed near a radiator and it is forbidden to cut off its top. After January 7, they will be relocated to a tree nursery and replanted.

The trees in pots also require care. Head of the arboretum of the Botanical Garden Košice, Peter Kelbel, explained for RTVS that acclimatization is necessary. It means that it is better to put the tree in a colder room first and then place it in the warmer room. The amount of watering may also increase. After the holiday, customers should water it less and again put it in colder conditions to prepare it for outside life and planting.

The project of renting real trees has been working in Košice for five years now, the biggest interest being in 2016 when people booked their trees within two hours. Renting Christmas trees is now also possible in the capital, Dobré Noviny wrote.

“We come with a new ecological solution,” says the official website for tree rental in Bratislava. The service offers delivery, pick-up and there is also a decoration service if someone wishes. The offer is to be widened, as all the trees are already booked.