I was reminded this week how much I love a REAL Christmas tree.
Imperfect? Yep.
Messy? Yep.
A hassle? You bet.
Worth it? Yes.
The scent of a cedar tree in your house is unlike any other. The smell hits you every time you enter the room. It brought back so many sweet memories to be around it this weekend!
When I was growing up, we usually waited to cut down a real tree until early to mid-December so it wouldn’t get too dried out by Christmas. This year however, my dad was eager to get the Christmas season started so he and my brother went out the day after Thanksgiving to scout out some potential trees for this year.
They came back with a HUGE tree. It’s amazing how they seem to look so much bigger in our house than out in the woods.
After getting it all set up, my dad asked me to look up a recipe for tree water.
What?
I didn’t even know there was such a thing. Apparently, if you add certain ingredients to the water that you give your Christmas tree, it will last longer and keep its fresh scent.
After doing a little research, I landed on a formula that looked promising.
Recipe for Christmas Tree Water
2oz Regular Chlorox Bleach –prevents algae, etc.
8oz Karo Syrup (clear) – the sugar feeds the tree
2 pinches of Epsom Salts – magnesium sulphates make the needles green
5 quarts of water
Print
PinDescription
Do you want the secret for longer-lasting real Christmas trees? Try this Christmas tree water recipe and be amazed at how long your fresh tree will last.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Regular Chlorox Bleach -prevents algae, etc.
- 8 oz Karo Syrup (clear) – the sugar feeds the tree
- 2 pinches of Epsom Salts – magnesium sulphates make the needles green
- 5 quarts of water
Instructions
- Mix all of the above and store in a cool place. It is better to err on the side of being too diluted. Osmosis happens from weak to strong, and if the mixture is too strong, it will actually drain your tree instead of feeding it.
Looking for more Christmas ideas? Check these out…
10 Fantastic Holiday Books to Read with Your Kids
Fun Christmas Game for Couples
If you explore Thriving Home a bit more, you’ll find that we have a lot of homemade household products like this Christmas tree water. Here are a few worth checking out:
Homemade All-Natural Carpet Cleaner
How to Make Your Own Non-Toxic Foaming Hand Soap
How much and how often do you use this on your tree?
How much do you use and how often every day once a week
How did it turn out? How long does it last? I want to get a tree tomorrow!
I can’t give a certain time on how long the tree will last because so much of that is contingent on other factors (type of tree, when it was cut down, etc.) but the solution DID seem to help.
So you haven’t tried this yet? Can you post what your results were since I’m assuming you looked it up to actually use it on the new tree you got???? Thanks
I just updated the post but in short, my dad (who used the solution) said he plans on using it again this year and thinks it made a difference. Good luck with your tree!
Pingback: Top Posts of 2012
Pingback: Fun Christmas Game for Couples
did you mean 2 oz. clorox as in clorox bleach?
That’s what the recipe said. Crazy huh? I think it’s meant to serve as a disinfectant (prevent algae, etc.)