christmas tree Q?

What can i add to the water under the tree to help keep the tree alive?

Fresh cut.

thanks in advance-and ho ho ho to ya'll!

http://www.realchristmastrees.org/care.html

this one says don't add anything - good, honest tapwater is the best.

http://www.bugwood.org/christmas/97007c.html#caring

this one says adding stuff to it is "no more effective than ... fresh water every day"

Looks like ya shouldn't add anything, but love and good water. :)

HTH
Jennifer , who doesn't water her artificial tree...

First off did you cut a section off the bottom of the tree trunk? When trees are shipped there is a coating on the bottom of the trunk and that needs to be cut off. Once you cut off a section of the tree trunk; drill some holes from the bottom and up into the trunk; will take in more moisture that way. Once the holes are drilled you can stuff the holes with cotton balls if you want, don't have to, but does help soak in more water that way, then place your tree in a bucket of water for about 24 hours before putting in the stand. Make sure you always have plenty of water in the tree stand, or could place ice cubes in the tree sand with just a bit of water. You can also get some of that stuff(can't think of it now) that florest use to make the cut flowers last longer that is mixed with water.

This was printed in our company news letter. I haven't tried it, though.
Deb

Christmas Tree Preservation and Fireproofing…..
Preservative:
¨ 2 cups of Karo Syrup
¨ 2 oz. of Chlorine Bleach
¨ 2 pinches Epsom Salt
¨ ½ teaspoon of Borax or Sodium Borate
Procedure:
Fill a 2-gallon bucket to within an inch or two from the top with hot water and add the above ingredients, mixing thoroughly. After making a fresh cut on the tree trunk one to two inches from the bottom, immediately stand the trunk of the tree in this solution. Store in a protected area outdoors, a garage, a carport, or an apartment balcony until bringing the tree indoors for trimming. (Overnight is best). When the tree is trimmed, fill the well of the tree stand to the top with the solution from the bucket, using a plastic cup. The well must be kept filled to the top everyday without exception to ensure that the tree is fireproofed.
Advantages:
¨ Your tree will contain at least 800% more water than when it is growing.
¨ Your tree will not become a fire hazard because it will not dry out.
¨ Needles will not drop, regardless of the type of tree.

I would use water that has been boiled as I do for rooting cuttings and watering my plants (Make sure you cool it first! LOL). A very dear friend told me that it is better for fresh cut plants, flowers, etc, than regular tap water. My little shortcut is: When my DH boils his water in the teapot, I pour what's left into an empty jug so I always have it on hand.

We've never done anything extraordinary to prolong the life of our trees.....we cut the tree the day we put it up. We water it as soon as we get it in the stand with lukewarm water and then just fill the stand everyday with plain old tap water. Plain and simple. And we have never had a problem with our trees...some years we have kept them up until the end of Janurary and they look fresh, beautiful and lively!

I used the Karo syrup recipe last year and it really did help. We had the tree up about 4 weeks and there were very few needles fallen and those on the tree were soft and flexible.

What's Karo syrup please?

Karo syrup is a brand name. It is pure corn syrup.

Thanks Zany - I think we can only get cane syrup here, but imagine that will do :)