How to Flock a Christmas Tree the Child & Pet Safe Way

Amanda C, Hometalk Team
by Amanda C, Hometalk Team
6 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy

I have never flocked my own Christmas tree before, but I can remember how my Granny Jo would let us spray some of that canned snow onto her tree every year.


Though spraying that stuff was fun and would certainly be nostalgic, it is not the most non-toxic of options.


With that in mind, I thought I would give a natural flocking option a try that would be safe for children and pets that may get into the tree (not that I have either, but hey).


To get this DIY Christmas snowy flocked tree underway all you need is some coconut and liquid corn starch!


Bare Christmas tree before the flocking

Get ready for the quickest, easiest and tastiest way to add some fresh "snow" to your Christmas tree!

Supplies needed for the DIY flocking project

Tools and materials:

  • 1 Lb. Desiccated Coconut (I know... it sounds horrible, it's finer than shredded coconut, but not as fine as coconut flour)
  • Liquid Corn Starch (2 cups)
  • Bowl
  • Fork
  • Measuring Cup
  • Christmas Tree


Note: I have a 7' Tree and these supplies covered it fine, but if you want a more coated look or have a larger tree you may need to make more flocking.

Mixing coconut and cornstarch

1. Mix coconut and cornstarch

Pour the coconut into a bowl and pour a cup of liquid cornstarch into a measuring cup. Mix in a good 2 tbsp or so of the sta-flo (liquid corn starch) into the coconut. Loosen up any clumps and keep stirring.

Mixing in the cornstarch

2. Mix in the rest of the cornstarch

Slowly mix in the remainder of the cup of sta-flo.

Adding more cornstarch to the mixture

3. Add more cornstarch

Slowly pour another cup of sta-flo into the bowl of coconut.

Stirring the coconut mixture

Once your coconut is all stirred it will look something like this. All of the coconut should be wet with sta-flo.

Sprinkling the flocking over the tree

4. Sprinkle the flocking on the tree

Take your sta-flo coconut mixture and sprinkle it all over your tree, starting from the top and allowing flakes to fall and land on the branches below.


Now comes the hard part.... waiting! You have to let the coconut dry for 8 hours or so. It is smart to do this project before heading to bed, and then the tree will be ripe and ready by the time you wake up in the morning.

Pet-safe and child-safe flocked Christmas tree

Here is the aftershot! I like it more than I even expected.

Non-toxic DIY flocking for Christmas trees

How to remove the flocking

Not only is this non-toxic but it can be cleaned off, which is great if you want to put this on a fake tree for one year and then have a clean tree the next. You can vac this off the tree since it isn't attached with glue.

How to flock your own Christmas tree

The snow does make a mess when applying it, as it falls to the floor and not only on the branches but can easily be swept up once you are finished.


For more information, see this guide on how to keep a flocked tree from shedding and these alternative DIY flocked Christmas tree ideas.

DIY flocked Christmas tree

DIY flocked Christmas tree

It does look good with ornaments too, but I could have it either way. This flocking looks more natural to me than the canned stuff for sure!

How to flock a Christmas tree with coconut

Side note: I LOVE coconut and making this was seriously a treat! The whole house smelled like coconut. I know you probably want the smell of pine, but quite honestly the combination was amazing!

Resources for this project:
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 51 questions
  • Gloria Gloria on Dec 03, 2019

    This is a great idea, but might it draw ants?

  • Debi Debi on Dec 04, 2019

    why is there a horse above the tree. Unusual but the tree is pretty.


  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Nov 24, 2020

    How about spraying a tee branch with hairspray and then sprinkle the stuff on? Or you could sponge on Mod Podge...

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