Keep a fresh christmas tree moist longer

[sdrjeolsen]

This is from the forrest service's website. They are getting ready to open the forrest here for cutting with a permit and had a nice recipe for keeping the tree from drying out. I know someone here just asked, but I didn't see the tread.

TIPS FOR HELPING YOUR TREE STAY MOIST LONGER:
Re-cut the end of the tree by 1 inch and let it stand in a bucket of "Fire-Minimizing" mixture (recipe below) until you’re ready to bring it indoors. Fill the reservoir twice a day (morning and evening) with the remaining mixture. NOTE - This mixture does NOT make your tree fireproof! It merely helps your tree stay moist longer, which helps minimize any fire danger!

"Fire-Minimizing" Mixture
2 gals. of hot water
2 cups corn syrup
2 oz. liquid bleach
2 pinches epsom salts
1/2 tsp. borax
1 tsp. chelated iron (garden shop)
How does this "Fire-Minimizing" Mixture work?
The corn syrup provides sugar, which allows the tree to soak up a lot of water. Without sugar, only a small amount of water is absorbed. You can expect the tree to soak up 1 1/2 gallons of the recipe during the 10- to 14-day period your tree is up, which is about 800 percent more water than it would have absorbed growing in the forest.

The boron (in the borax) makes the water and sugar move to every needle of your tree. The epsom salts and chelated iron provide magnesium sulfate help chlorophyll production, keeping your needles green. Bleach stops mold from forming when water and sugar stand for awhile.

[jamaicabraden]

thanks for sharing this info! this will definitely help a lot on maintaining my realistic Christmas trees especially that Christmas season is coming!

[Ceashels]

I've used this before and it works very well.

[Bournecrazy]

Can you buy them dug-up rather than cut?

I got one last year from the supermarket and they were dug up ones as they still had a very small amount of root to them, When I got home it went in a pot with soil and its still living now as there was enough roots to keep it alive.

Its going good in the garden to use again this year

[Ceashels]

Yes, you can buy live trees with the root ball intact. It takes some extra planning though. My friends dug a whole in the ground before the ground froze then replanted the tree outside when it thawed.