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The best Christmas tree stand for a real tree

A real tree drinks. A stand that is too small runs dry overnight, the cut end seals over with sap, and the tree stops taking water for good. The right stand is about water first and grip second. Here is how big yours needs to be, how the kinds of stand compare, and which farms on PickingHours will drill your tree so it drops straight onto a pin.

Water per inch of trunk
1 quart
Never less than
1 gallon
Farms that drill
17
Farms selling stands
9

The short answer

A real Christmas tree stand, or any stand for a live tree, should hold at least a gallon, and a quart for every inch across the trunk. A 7 ft tree usually has a trunk about 4 inches wide, so it wants about a gallon; a 9 ft tree wants five quarts or more. Check the stand’s maximum trunk width as well as its maximum tree height. For the easiest set-up, a cable stand with a foot pedal (the Krinner Tree Genie is the best known) grips a crooked trunk on its own. For the cheapest, a classic screw-bolt stand works fine if it is big enough. And if your farm drills trees, a pin stand is the quickest of all: you lower the tree onto the spike and it stands straight.

What size real Christmas tree stand do you need?

The rule the tree growers’ own board and the Washington State and Oregon State extension services all give is the same: a quart of water for every inch of trunk width. Penn State Extension adds a floor of a gallon for most trees. The trunk itself takes up room in the bowl, so buy a little bigger than the sum says.

Tree height Typical trunk width Water the stand should hold Stand to look for
Up to 5 ft (tabletop) about 3 in 1 gallon Small stand, rated to 5–6 ft
5 to 8 ft about 4 in 1 gallon Rated to 8 ft, trunk to 5–6 in
8 to 10 ft about 5 in 1¼ gallons or more Rated to 10 ft, trunk to 6–7 in
10 ft and up 6 in or more 1½ gallons or more Rated to 12 ft, trunk to 7–8 in, wide base

Trunk widths are typical, not promised: a Fraser fir grown tight can have a thinner trunk than a Douglas fir of the same height. Measure the cut end at the farm if you can. Our Christmas tree size calculator works out the tallest tree for your ceiling and the water your stand must hold in one go.

A fresh-cut tree can drink close to its full bowl a day in the first week, then slows down. That is why a small stand runs dry overnight, and why a stand that holds two or three times the minimum is worth paying for if you will not be home to top it up.

Best Christmas tree stands for real trees, compared: screw, cable, swivel and pin

Kind How it holds the tree Set-up Good for Watch out for
Screw-bolt (the classic bowl with 3–4 eye bolts) Bolts screw in against the trunk Two people: one holds, one turns the bolts Low price; fine control over a crooked trunk Small bowls; bolts loosen as the trunk dries
Cable with a foot pedal (Krinner Tree Genie) One cable pulls five claws in evenly round the trunk One person, under a minute Crooked or thick trunks, people who hate kneeling on the floor Price; trim low branches and knots so the claws close fully
Swivel (Swivel Straight) Clamp the trunk lying down, raise it, then swivel to straight One person Setting up alone Check the trunk width it is rated for
Pin, for drilled trees A spike in the bowl goes up a hole drilled in the trunk One person, seconds Fastest and straightest set-up Only works if the farm drills your tree, on a drill that makes a straight centred hole

Krinner Christmas tree stand: the Tree Genie

This is the stand most people mean when they search for the “best Christmas tree stand”. You stand the tree on the centre spike, hold it upright and pump the foot pedal; a single cable pulls the claws in with the same pressure on every side, so a thick, thin or crooked trunk ends up straight. A bell on the pedal rings when the claws are tight. It comes in three sizes:

Tree Genie Trees up to Trunk up to Water
Medium 7 ft 5 in 1.2 gallons
XL 10 ft 7 in 1.2 gallons
XXL 12 ft 7 in 2.5 gallons

Owners say the same two things: centre the trunk on the spike, and cut off any low branches or knots where the claws meet the wood, or one claw won’t bite. For a 7 to 8 ft tree, the XXL’s bigger bowl is worth more than its bigger height rating.

Swivel Straight Christmas tree stand

The Swivel Straight works the other way round: you clamp it onto the trunk while the tree is lying down, stand the tree up, then swivel it until it is straight. It is a one-person job. The full-size model is sold for trees up to 12 ft; Home Depot sells a plastic St Nick’s Choice version for trees up to 10 ft.

Cheapest Christmas tree stand: a screw-bolt stand

A plain screw stand does the job if the bowl is big enough. Look past the tree height on the box to the water and the trunk width: a steel stand for 8 ft trees with a 5 in trunk and 1.1 gallons, or a plastic one like the Cinco Express (to 10 ft, trunk to 7 in) is plenty for most homes. Re-tighten the bolts after a day or two, once the trunk has settled.

Pin stands for live trees: if your farm drills

The quickest set-up of all. At the farm they stand your tree upright in a drilling machine and bore a hole straight up the middle of the trunk; at home you lower it onto the pin and it stands straight with no bolts. The catch is that it only works with a drilled tree, so check before you go. Several farms sell the matching stand at the barn.

Farms that drill your tree for a pin stand

These farms on PickingHours say they drill trunks. Most do it free; tap a farm’s name for its card.

Farm Where What the farm says
Peterson Family Farm Flemington, NJ Free drilling for Stand Straight pin stands
Kenlin Tree Farm Edgewater Park, NJ Drilling free, with the saw, cart, netting and loading
Frog Hollow Evergreens Manheim, PA Drill the trunk for a pin stand at no extra charge
Abe’s Tree Farm Lancaster, PA Every tree drilled if you use a pin stand
Old Stone Farm Landenberg, PA Free drilling for a pin stand, new this season
Clark’s Christmas Tree Farm Cochranville, PA Drilling and wrapping free on every tree
Unangst Tree Farms Bath, PA Free shaking, drilling and baling
Candy Cane Christmas Tree Farm Oxford, MI Drilling in the price; sells a pin stand that takes a drilled tree in under a minute
D’Lamater’s Winter-fresh Leslie, MI Drilling if you buy their pin stand
Evergreen Timbers Reading, MI Drilling for a stand, $1
Church’s Tree Farm Grant, MI Drilling, shaking and baling free with every tree
Long’s Tree Farm West Jefferson, NC Free drilling for spike stands
Clawson’s Choose & Cut Boone, NC Trunk drilled for a spike stand before loading
Kandy Kane Christmas Treeland Anthony, FL Hole drilling; tree stands sold
Athens Christmas Tree Farm Athens, TX Drilled to fit their stand; stands for sale
Covered Bridge Ranch Montrose, CO Staff drill the trunk if your stand needs it
Klopman Farms Washougal, WA Staff cut, shake, drill and bale

Not every farm drills. Circle C Tree Farms in Boone, for one, neither drills trunks nor sells stands, so bring a bolt or cable stand.

Real Christmas tree stands near you: farms that sell them

Forgot the stand, or the old one is too small? These farms sell them:

Farm Where What they sell
Luks Tree Farm Auburn, MA Tree stands $15–$25
Barclay’s Tree Farm Cranbury, NJ Stands and watering tools
Caritas Tree Farm Mount Solon, VA Stands and watering funnels at the barn
Panoramic View Christmas Tree Farm Boone, NC Stands sold; trunk drilled on request
Elgin CHRISTmas Tree Farm Elgin, TX Tree stands $21
Holiday Acres Manvel, TX Tree stands for sale
Kadee Farm Greenville, TX Tree stands sold
Skyline Christmas Tree Farm Salem, OR Stands in the holiday store
Kessler’s Christmas Trees Pleasant Hill, OR Tree stands to buy

Is your farm drilling trees or selling stands and not listed? Tell us and we’ll add it.

How to set up a real tree in its stand

  1. Get a fresh cut. If the tree has been off the stump more than a few hours, saw a thin disc, about an inch, off the bottom just before it goes in the stand. Cut straight across, not at an angle or a point; the tree drinks through the cut face.
  2. Don’t whittle the trunk to fit. The outer layers carry the water. Buy a stand that fits the trunk instead.
  3. Set it up where it will stay, away from heat vents, fireplaces and radiators, on a mat or tray if the floor matters.
  4. Straighten, then tighten. With a bolt stand, one person holds the tree upright while the other turns the bolts in evenly, opposite pairs in turn. With a cable stand, centre the trunk on the spike and pump the pedal. Step back and look from two sides.
  5. Fill it straight away, with plain tap water, right up. Additives, sugar and aspirin don’t help; extension services agree plain water is best.
  6. Check it every day. Never let the water drop below the cut end: if it does, sap seals the cut and the tree stops drinking. A small stand may need topping up twice a day in the first week.

If your tree leans, wobbles or the stand leaks

For how long a tree lasts once it is up, and how to keep it fresh to the end, see how long a real Christmas tree lasts. Getting it home first? See how to get a Christmas tree home.

Questions people ask

What is the best Christmas tree stand for a real tree?

The one that holds enough water for your tree and fits its trunk. For most people the easiest is a cable stand with a foot pedal such as the Krinner Tree Genie, which holds a crooked trunk straight with one person. A big screw-bolt stand is the cheaper choice, and a pin stand is the quickest if your farm drills trees.

How much water should a Christmas tree stand hold?

A quart for every inch across the trunk, and never less than a gallon. A 7 ft tree usually needs about a gallon; a 10 ft tree about a gallon and a half.

Which Krinner Christmas tree stand do I need?

The Medium is for trees up to 7 ft with a trunk up to 5 in. The XL takes trees up to 10 ft and trunks up to 7 in, with 1.2 gallons of water. The XXL takes trees up to 12 ft and holds 2.5 gallons, which is the one to pick if you buy big trees or don’t want to water every day.

What is the biggest Christmas tree stand?

Among the common home stands, the Krinner Tree Genie XXL (trees to 12 ft, 2.5 gallons) and the Cinco Express 12 (trunk to 8 in, 3 gallons) are among the largest. For trees over 12 ft, ask the farm: some sell heavy-duty stands for tall trees.

Is a stand for a live tree different from one for an artificial tree?

Yes. A stand for a real or live tree has a water bowl; an artificial-tree stand is just a base for a pole and holds no water. Don’t use one for the other.

Why does my Christmas tree keep falling over?

Usually the stand is too small or light for the tree, or the trunk wasn’t cut straight. Get a wider, heavier stand rated for the tree’s height and trunk, re-cut the base flat, and tie a tall tree back to the wall.

Where can I get a tree drilled for a pin stand?

Many choose-and-cut farms drill trunks, usually for free. The farms in the table above say they do; call ahead if your nearest farm isn’t listed.

Sources

Nothing on this page is sponsored, and no farm pays to be listed. Products are named because readers ask about them. Farm details are read from each farm’s card on PickingHours, with the date we checked it.

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