Live Christmas tree question

luvmykids wrote: I remember my grandpa putting their tree in a bucket for a few days before putting it up, with some kind of mixture that had 7-Up in it. Anyone know of something like that? It was supposed to help it last longer, and from what I can remember, their trees always looked and smelled fresh all the way through the holidays.

amynicole21 replied: I've never heard of the 7up one, but here is a pretty typical one I found online.

1 gallon hot water
2 c. Karo syrup
4 tsp. Clorox bleach
6 iron tablets, crushed & dissolved
Mix together and place in Christmas tree holder.

I usually just get the solution that they sell where we buy the tree.

Swood75 replied: No..Never heard of it..But then again,I never use anything when I buy real trees..LOL..I have always had VERY good luck with my live trees and I buy them on Thanksgiving and they are still really green and fresh by the time I get rid of them after the 1st of the year..Just make sure to keep it watered really well and it should be fine..

jcc64 replied: They have live trees in Florida, Amy? Are they expensive?

mom21kid2dogs replied: We just freshen the water every day. We do cut a little bit off the end right before we put it in the stand to open the pores on the end of the tree. We've only had a problem with one cut tree several years ago. The rest have been fine. We do take ours directly from the field, though.

Brias3 replied: Ever since we've lived back in the States, we go to a nearby tree farm and cut ours down each year. My husband usually takes a bit off the bottom before we put it into the stand and then I water it each day, no special solution.

We typically get a balsam fir, which doesn't drop alot of needles, yet is still strong enough to hang heavier ornaments and with just a daily water, we've never had a problem with it staying fresh or dropping alot of needles. It does absorb water quickly though- I need to fill it quite a bit each day.

Anthony275 replied: watered 2-4 days

amynicole21 replied:
They are usually trucked down from Michigan or something... we pay about $60. They don't last as long since they have to make the trip, though.

jcc64 replied: We cut ours' down, and it lasts forever. But for some reason, it doesn't smell as much as I'd like it to when it's super fresh.

grapfruit replied: Actually MythBusters tackled this Myth (adding things to the water to keep the tree "fresher" longer). Turns out nothing really helps much.

Here's a link to the MythBuster's results

Here's the reason. During Christmas time, trees are in hybernation, so thus they aren't growing or needing nutrients.

So all you really need to do is, when you get home, cut about 3-4 inches up the trunk to make a fresh cut and then lots of water.

I usually put a humidfier by the tree as well.

Cece00 replied: >>Tips:
Do Not Drink! If you plan on making enough tree or cut flower preservative to store, label your container and keep it out of reach of children and pets.
Bleach and vinegar produce toxic vapors when mixed. If you add vinegar or lemon juice, add it to the water rather than mix it directly with the bleach.
If you don't have corn syrup, you can substitute 4 teaspoons of sugar, dissolved in the water. Some people add a penny to a sugar solution, so that the copper can act as a fungicide and acidifier.


*Another common option is to substitute a can of acidic soft drink, like Sprite or 7-Up, instead of the corn syrup and lemon juice. Just add a can of (non-diet) soft drink to a gallon of water, with a splash of bleach.
For flowers, you'll probably want to cut the recipe: 1 quart water, 1/2 c. corn syrup, 1 tsp. bleach, 1 tsp. lemon juice


What You Need:
1 gallon water
2 cups light corn syrup
4 teaspoons chlorine bleach
4 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar (optional)

holley79 replied:
We have three Christmas Tree farms here in Santa Rosa County. It's a family tradition to go cut one. I think the most we paid for a 6 foot tree was 35.00.

lisar replied: Never heard of a mixture. I just water mine.