Hi All: I couldn't find and appropriate newsgroup for this post so I thought I'd try this one. Besides, if I don't solve this problem, I will be needing a home repair.
We cut a fress Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago at a local tree farm; it is a Balsam Fir. Since this tree was huge, by the time I set it up, I ended up cutting about one foot off the bottom and 6 inches from the top. The important thing is that it was a fresh cut just before I put up the tree and filled the tree holder pan with water.
This tree will not drink water. Is it becasue it is a fresh tree and doesn't need it?
If you did the fresh cut at the bottom just a few hours before you set it up and now it doesn't drink water, it may be a pretty fresh tree !! I would check it 24 hours later, to see if it has taken some of the water.
I don't know of anything else you can or need to do...............
You cut the top and bottom? Try using it like a straw! : )
I like the drill a couple holes in the base...
Is the cut end of the tree sitting against the bottom of the pan? This might be "sealing" out the water. Drilling holes will make sure the water can get into the tree.
Good Point, the bottom is pretty much touching the bottom of the pan which may tend to seal it. I will drill the holes toninte when I go home. Thanks for your help. Happy Holidays. Robert P.S. I will be sure not to slip and drill through the bottom of the pan.
Well, whatever you do, don't pour any jack daniels in the water. I tried that last year. I thought it was a pretty clever idea, because an hour after I filled the stand, the pan was empty. So I refilled it with plain water - nothing. Added some more JD - nothing. Finally tried some Chivas - pan empty in 1/2 hour.
This cycle continued all the way up to christmas day, when my kids woke up me and my wife, their bright faces full of excitement way before sun up. So we go downstairs.... what do we find? Yep. The christmas tree had taken off it's star, and put a lampshade on it's head. Also, there was christmas tree puke (thick, yellow sap) all over the gifts.
An alchoholic christmas tree can ruin an otherwise perfect day, so - be careful.
I received the following in a gardening newsletter. jerrybaker.com Hope it helps.
"It'll soon be that time of year again, so I'd like to take a moment to wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season! I'm never one to leave you in a lurch, so to help you out with your holiday chores, here are a few of my favorite holiday tips and tricks.
To help your Christmas tree retain its needles all season long, you need to select a tree that's fresh, and then consider shape, height, and price. When selecting a tree, shake it as hard as you can, then reach into the trunk, and remove all of the needles that have accumulated in the center of the tree. If you do this while you're still at a tree lot, you won't need to vacuum up all of the excess needles when the tree is in your house!
As soon as you bring the tree home, while you still have it outdoors, cut and discard at least one inch off of the bottom of the trunk to remove the dried sap that'll prevent the tree from absorbing moisture. Then fill a large bucket half full of hot water and add 2 cups of clear corn syrup, 2 tbsp. of beach, and 4 One-a-Day Vitamins+Iron. Set the trunk in the bucket, and allow it to soak overnight. Then keep plenty of water in the tree stand at all times.
If you're going to hang up some evergreen roping, soak it in room temperature water for 24 hours before using it. Allow it to dry then spray it with a commercial antidesiccant that can be found at most tree nurseries.
Decorative centerpieces can sure brighten up a room, but before using decorative greens, soak the stems in the corn syrup solution overnight, then spray them with an antidesiccant. When the spray has dried, make fresh, sharp cuts on the ends, and force them into pieces of oasis that have been soaked in the corn syrup solution and wrapped in foil to prevent evaporation.
Follow these simple steps, and your halls will stay decked with fresh, fragrant greens throughout the holiday season. Then when the holidays are over, make sure you dispose of the greens properly. Don't burn them in your fireplace because sparks can travel up the chimney and set fire to the roof, or burn so hot that they'll cause a fire in the flue. Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry!"
I am really stretching back into school biology here, But I thought that trees only used the underlying section just below the bark to supply the tree with nutrients from the roots, the middle of the tree was not active at all ???
Yep. And the suggestion of a 1/2 hole on each side is to give better exposure to that layer, and making the hole any deeper is superfluous. The routine of drilling the hole frequently comes up with a fresh cut with tree stand bottom blocking flow. That's the reason for the center spike. To hold the tree in place, and space it above the bottom of the stand bowl.
I think Noozer got it with the flate butt of the trunk sitting flate on the bottom of the pan. If you restrict the veines of the truck it will not take on water.
Secondly take some of this stuff call miricle grow and mix it up strongly and put it in the water. the tree will stay green till next Christmas.
"> We cut a fress Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago at a local tree
How long was it from cutting to putting into water? Two weeks? Once a tree is cut, it should be put into fairly deep water (I use a bucket) to start it drinking the day it is cut. The base should be recut another 1/2 inch or so to expose fresher wood, immediately upon getting the tree home, with a 1/4 inch bevel cut around the base along the bark, using a very sharp utility knife, to expose phloem/xylem channels. I use a flat stone or gravel to keep tree base off bottom of bucket. Once tree is stored in shady cool place like this, it can be moved whenever you like into the house, even weeks later,in a bucket style tree base with righting bolts. While outside, it should be topped off daily. It will drink like crazy for several days, then slow down markedly by the end of a week, but by that time the tree will be hydrated and resist drying once it is inside.
This does not occur very often, but there are occasionally some Christmas trees that are alcoholics. You will need to fill the stand with beer or some hard liquor such as whiskey or rum. Once the stand has been filled with your favorite alcoholic beverage, decorate the tree as usual, except it is highly recommended by "The National Association for Alcoholic Christmas Trees" (NAACT), that you install some sort of durable string or wire from the center of the trees trunk to a solid object, such as the wall behind the tree. The reason for this is because drunk trees tend to fall over easier than those that are on the wagon. It would be a good idea to take your tree to an "Alcoholics Anonymous" (AA) meeting, as soon as the holidays are over, so that it can recover from it's alcoholism and from all the stress of the holidays. On a final note, you might consider using some egg nog containing a large amount of rum in the stand, because that would be the most traditional Christmas beverage. "HIC"
Merry Christmas to you, your family, and your drunk tree !!!
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