If youre committing to a live tree this holiday season, I hope youre ready to do alotof watering.
Keep your tree watered.
Otherwise, it becomes ahuge fire hazard.
Thats a gallon for a tree with a four-inch trunkmore if its bigger.
But the tree is really the boss here: If its thirsty, it drinks.
verify there is always enough water that the bottom of the trunk is submerged.
(Or if you have a saw, you might do it yourself when you get it home.)
A half inch is all you need.
Dont venture to get fancy.
No angle, no V shapes, no drilling holes in weird places.
That makes itharderfor the tree to actually get its water.
Its actually theouter layers of woodthat suck up the 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 cant drink through them.
(See above about getting a big-enough stand.)
Your garage, if you have one, is perfect.
The tree will need a ton of water its first week, and less afterward.
Check the stand multiple times a day to see to it it doesnt dry out as its getting acclimated.
Here are a bunch of thingsthatdontworkto keep your tree fresh: putting a penny in the water.
Putting aspirin in the water.
Putting vodka in the water.
Putting gel beads in the water.
Spraying the tree with flame retardants.
Spraying the tree with stuff that says it will reduce evaporation.
Dosing the water with cut-flower food or even tree preservatives.
Adding honey, molasses, bleach, 7Up … you get the idea.
Save the soda for yourself.
To check, run your fingers over the needles.
A healthy tree wont mind.
The needles of a crispy, dry tree will come off in your hand.
If you screwed up, theres no way to bring it back to life.
Mulch that fire hazard.
Then get yourself a new tree and water it better this time.
