Make Sure You Water the Tree Sufficiently
If you are transferring a living tree this holiday season, I hope you are ready to do a lot of watering. This big boy will need a gallon or more a day, and no amount of additives or aerosols can change that. Water the tree. Otherwise, there is a huge fire hazard .
According to Rick Bates , a real Christmas tree expert at the Pennsylvania Department of Horticulture, your tree stand should hold a liter of water for every inch of trunk diameter. That’s a gallon for a tree with a 4-inch trunk, more if it’s larger.
But the tree is really the owner here: if it wants to drink, it drinks. Make sure there is always enough water to submerge the bottom of the barrel. You will probably need to refill the container at least once a day, but the safest thing to do, like Santa, is to check it twice.
How to prepare a tree for indoor living
First, if the tree has been sitting around a lot all day, ask the people from the tree to cut the disc off the end. A quarter of an inch should be enough, but you can ask for an inch. If you know when the tree has been cut and can submerge it in water for 12 hours, there is no need for an additional cut.
Don’t try to fantasize. You may be cutting roses at an angle before placing them in a vase, but the tree needs to be cut straight. No corner, no V-shape, no drilling in obscure places. This makes it harder for the tree to get water.
In fact, the outer layers of the tree absorb water, not the center of the tree. Think of this layer as a bunch of straws. If any of the straws are above the surface of the water, the tree will not be able to drink through them. (The reason we disabled this drive earlier is to make sure the ends of the straw are not clogged with juice.)
So make sure the entire end of the tree is in the water, and definitely don’t cut the bark so that the tree will fit on the stand.
Water, water, water
If you bring the tree home a day or two before setting it up, simply pour the entire trunk into a bucket of water and store in a cool place. Your garage, if you have one, is perfect.
The tree will need a ton of water the first week, and then less. Check your stand several times a day to make sure it doesn’t dry out as you acclimate.
Here are a few things that wo n’t help keep your tree fresh: Put a penny in water. Add aspirin to water. Pour vodka into water. We dip the gel beads into the water. Spraying the tree with fire retardants. Spraying the tree with a substance that will reduce evaporation. Add cut flower food or even tree preservatives to the water. Add honey, molasses, bleach, 7Up … you get the idea. Your tree wants water . Save 7Up to yourself.
Watch for signs of dryness
A well-watered tree will stay fresh and healthy for three to four weeks , Bates said, so if you haven’t bought your tree yet, check the calendar. It is best to buy the tree in mid-December and then throw it away immediately after the holidays or when it dries up, whichever comes first.
Run your fingers over the needles to check. A healthy tree won’t mind. The needles of a crispy dry tree will come off in your hand.
If you screwed up, there is no way to bring him back to life. Mulch this fire hazard. Then buy yourself a new tree and water it better this time.