Things You'll Need
2 cups of Karo corn syrup
2 ounces of Clorox bleach
1 teaspoon of Epsom salt
1/2 teaspoon of Borax
1 teaspoon of chelated iron (available at nursery)
2 gallons hot water
5-gallon bucket
Empty spray bottle
Keeping Christmas trees fresh prolongs the beauty to the holiday season. Keeping a tree well watered isn't always enough to keep it in good shape. There is, however, a home recipe that not only keeps a fresh tree well watered and resistant to fire hazards, but keeps it retaining its beauty and scent longer, allowing you to enjoy it longer throughout the Christmas season.
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Step 1
Mix all of the above ingredients in the 5-gallon bucket and set aside, letting them dissolve.
Step 2
Take your fresh-cut tree and cut another inch off the bottom, making an even fresher cut which will allow the tree to more easily absorb the mixture. Leave the tree in this mixture for 24 hours.
Step 3
After 24 hours of soaking in the mixture, move your tree to its tree stand. Be sure the tree stand has a deep bottom that will allow a deep reservoir of water at the bottom of the tree.
Step 4
Once your tree is set in the stand, add the mixture into the reservoir until the reservoir is full. Every day more of the borax mixture needs to be added to the tree stand, topping it off. When the borax mixture runs out, make up another batch and continue adding it to the tree until you decide to take the tree down.
Step 5
Another borax mixture that can be used as a spray is to take 5 tablespoons of borax, 1/4 cup of Epsom salts and 2 quarts of water. Mix and put mixture in a spray bottle. Spray tree branches daily.
Tip
If your tree outlasts your borax mixture, simply make more and keep adding it for the duration of the season.