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Christmas Tree Decorating >
Caring for
Christmas Trees
Watering Your Christmas Tree
Much of the tree care you will find deals with water. Here is a
little piece of trivia for you: a cut Christmas tree’s weight is
over half water! What does this mean to you? Well, if you display
your live tree in something that holds water and keep the water
level high, your tree will keep its freshness and needle loss will
be kept down to a minimum. This, of course, will ultimately keep
your tree looking its best and keeping its nice fragrance (if you
get a tree with a scent) throughout the season.
When you get your tree home, it is critical to get it in water as
soon as you can. Many tree varieties will still “drink” water six to
eight hours after the truck has been cut. If you don’t display the
live tree right away, you need to store it in a cool area in a
container that provides ample water. When you don’t have the tree in
a stand, it should be supported somehow in order to keep it from
toppling over and damaging the tree and anything around it.
Since most people display their Christmas trees indoors, it is
important to have a stand that holds a sufficient amount of water
for the size tree you purchase. The general rule on water amount:
One quart of water for every inch of the stem’s diameter. Some stand
devices actually do this automatically, maintaining the water level
with little to no effort on your part. If you do not have one of
these devices, check the stand on a daily basis! Add water often.
There are many stands that will still be holding water, but the
level will be below the bottom of the tree. The water you add to the
stand can be any temperature, as having a particular temperature
will not change how much your tree will “drink”.
Don’t bother adding anything to the water to keep your tree fresh.
Adding preservatives for floral items and commercial trees, sodas,
sugars, honey, aspirin, bleach and other items really does nothing
beneficial for your Christmas tree when you add them to the water.
The same can be said for water-holding gels made for your tree
stand. They primarily take up space, limiting the water amount that
will ultimately be available to your Christmas tree.
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