How to preserve your CHRISTmas tree
Source of Recipe
rc-jeannie
Recipe Introduction
Source of Recipe
Natl.CHRISTmas tree assoc. Mimi's archives, and other sources
List of Ingredients
If your looking for a good tree preserving mixture give this a try.
Bleach and syrup? Yes, you read that right. The syrup and the hot water keep the juices flowing and feed the tree. The tiny amount of bleach prevents mold from forming due to the sugar content.
Tree Preserving Solution
1 tbsp. Bleach
1 cup White Corn Syrup
1 Gal Hot Water
Boil water; stir in corn syrup an bleach. Let cool slightly. Add to tree reservoir every other watering.
Recipe
It takes between six and 10 years for a Christmas tree to reach a commercially saleable height. Taller trees cost more because they take longer to grow and require more shaping, water and fertilizer than shorter trees. A fresh-cut tree shipped straight to South Florida can live up to five weeks indoors if it receives proper care. Here are some tips to help your tree last through the holidays:
Make sure the tree you want to buy is receiving proper care on the lot. Grab a branch of the tree between your thumb and forefinger and gently pull on it: If the tree is fresh, very few needles will come off in your hand.
Look on the ground around the base of the tree: There shouldn't be an excess of green needles on the ground. A moderate amount of brown needles, however, is normal.
A newly purchased tree should be kept in a sheltered, unheated area, like a garage or a porch, until you are ready to bring it inside for decoration.
Make sure your tree is fresh-cut when you purchase it. Keep the fresh-cut end damp or in water until you get the tree home, and make sure the tree has plenty of water every day. A stand that holds at least a gallon of water is recommended.
Having the tree cut on the lot also gives you a chance to shorten a tree you like to fit into your home.
Your tree should be kept away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators and TV sets. Any lights, electrical cords and electric ornaments should be checked to make sure they are in good working order.
The cost of a Christmas tree can vary based on color and shape, but the average cost of a tree is $7 to $9 per foot.
SOURCE: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE ASSOCIATION
Christmas Tree Solution
For those of us using real Christmas Trees, this solution will help keep your tree from catching on fire and it will help keep the needles green and on the tree.
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Here is another recipe. I've not tried this one with the salts.
Christmas Tree Formula
2oz Regular Chlorox
8oz Karo Syrup (clear) - the sugar feeds the tree
2 pinches of Epsom Salts - magnesium sulphates make the needles green
5 quarts of water
Mix all of the above and store in a cool place. It is better to err on the side of being too diluted. Osmosis happens from weak to strong, and if the mixture is too strong, it will actually drain your tree instead of feeding it.
You'll want to cut at least a half inch off the bottom, if not an inch, to get to fresh wood.
Then, using a drill bit, drill a hold about a 1/4" wide about a 1/2" deep in the center of the stump toward the top of the tree. This helps the tree draw from the magic solution we're about to make.
Immediately after putting the tree in the stand and making sure it's balanced, add the above liquid.
Keep an eye on the water level in your Christmas Tree stand. Don't let it go dry (otherwise you have to cut more of the bottom off and start again; even then it may be too late).
The limbs should descend back to natural levels, the needles will remain green, and the tree itself is far less likely to catch fire.
Christmas Tree Fire Proofing
posted by Gertie 12-08-102 11:22 AM
A local radio station (WQSR - Baltimore)
Christmas Tree Fire Proofing
2 cups of Karo syrup
2 ounces of liquid chlorine bleach
2 pinches of Epsom salt
1/2 teaspoon of Borax
1 teaspoon of chelated iron
Hot water
You can purchase the Karo syrup, Borax and liquid chlorine bleach from your supermarket. The Epsom salt can be purchased from the drug store and the chelated iron (pronounced key-lated) can be purchased from a garden shop or plant store.
Mix your fireproofing ingredients listed above. Fill a two-gallon bucketwith hot water to within one inch of the top and add the ingredients. Stir thoroughly, dissolving ingredients. Put to side.
With a saw, take your recently-purchased Christmas tree and make a fresh cut at the base on the tree trunk. Cut an inch off the base of the tree. Try to make a level cut.
Immediately stand the trunk of the tree in the solution and leave for 24 hours.
Keep the remaining solution. Place your tree in a tree stand that contains a well where liquids can be poured.
When the tree is in its final resting place, use a plastic cup to pour solution from the bucket into the tree well. Fill the well.
Every day without exception, the well of the tree stand must be "topped up" with the solution from the two-gallon bucket.
Follow these simple directions and your tree should be fireproofed. It may save your home and family from those fire tragedies we hear about around the holidays.
If you're curious, after Christmas when you remove your tree, snap off a branch and try to set it on fire, outdoors.
How does the solution work?
In a nutshell, the Karo syrup provides the sugar necessary to allow the base of the tree to take up water. Up to 1.5 gallons of water can be taken up by the tree over a two-week period. Boron in the Borax allows the tree to move the water and sugar out to every branch and needle in your tree. Magnesium compounds in the Epsom salt and iron from the chelated iron provide essential components for the production of chlorophyll which will keep the tree green. The bleach prevents mold from forming in your solution.
Some of the other beneficial side effects of this procedure are that the needles will not drop and you will notice an increase in natural pine fragrance. Have a safe and happy holiday!
Recipe
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