Keeping Your Christmas Tree Fresh

I’ll be the first to admit that I love to make concoctions. However, they truly aren’t needed for the care and feeding of your Christmas Tree. The secret to keeping your Christmas Tree fresh is not in the Karo Syrup, the vinegar, or the aspirin. All your Christmas Tree needs is water. However, there’s a catch — if your tree doesn’t get enough water, (like if you forget to water your tree) the tree base will quickly form a resin seal that makes it impossible for it to absorb more water. Then, your tree will simply dry out very quickly.

The year I did make the fancy concoction to mix the karo syrup and who-knew-what-else, was the year our Christmas Tree lost all of its needled in 10 days. Sadly, there was a disease in the tree farm, and we looked as though the Grinch had stopped by.

Still, there are a few steps to take to prepare your tree for it’s long stand in your living room.

  • Make sure you tree stand or bucket is thoroughly clean of bacteria before you begin. Use vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to clean.
  • If your tree has been cut for longer than four hours, you’ll need to make a fresh “cookie” cut before you place it in your tree stand. The cut should be one inch, straight off the bottom trunk.
  • Place tree in tree stand (or bucket) and be prepared to continually add water in the first few hours as the tree will absorb more water after it has just been cut.
  • Keep your tree watered — check water levels morning and night.
  • If you do forget to water your tree, make another 1″ cut off the base to cut off the resin that has been formed. (That would be a real pain, after the tree is decorated. A ROYAL pain.)
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