Christmas tree problem... HELP!

[chris]

We have a Frazier Fur that we put up just after Thanksgiving. There is an odor coming from the water in the stand that is very much like vomit. I'm not kidding.

It hasn't permiated the house but it is definitely noticeable. We are using Peter's Christmas Tree Preservative in the water. I'm sure that there is some bacteria or mold now feeding on the preservative. We've quit using the preservative and the tree is now on a diet of regular water but the odor persists. Is there something I can put in the water that will kill everything in there except the tree? Vinegar maybe? Any ideas short of taking the tree down and starting over?

Chris

[Tom J]

Did you get the tree from a reliable dealer? Many trees are sprayed with a chemical this time of year and if stolen and used inside a heated building, gives off unpleasant odors.

Tom J

[Travis M.]

A tiny bit of bleach might help but I don't know what it will do to the tree.

[alice]

Charcoal perhaps?

alice

[Lynn]

Did you cut off the stump before placing in water? maybe they dipped the trees into a perserve before setting them out for sale. recut the end ( I know a big job after decorating the darn thing) and place a little bleach into the new water. ( no more than a teaspoon) maybe try that first then if it doesn't work recutting. also place a dish or two of baking soda or charcoal or something like that under the tree. A fir tree should smell good

[Tex John]

A bit of bleach won't hurt -- plants need trace amounts of chlorine anyway...notice your sink water hasn't killed anything lately!

John

[Stephen Henning]

It might be caused by the sap. The nickname for true firs (all others besides Doug Fir) is Piss Fir because of the odor of the sap when you peel the bark. As others have stated, you can use some chlorine bleach. Also, you can use plastic wrap to seal off the area over the water to keep the odor from coming into the room.

[de Fragile Warrior Sports Supp]

Just out of curiosity: did you fill the water container using a washed-out milk carton? If so, you might want to rethink how well it was washed out before water was put in it.

I once did a similar thing when filling the gravel trays beneath my African violets. Just a teeny bit of curdled milk in water smells exactly like vomit.

[sockiescat]

We have a Frazier Fur that we put up just after Thanksgiving. Ther is an odor coming from the water in the stand that is very much like vomit. I'm not kidding.

It might be caused by the sap. The nickname for true firs (all others besides Doug Fir) is **** Fir because of the odor of the sap when you peel the bark. As others have stated, you can use some chlorin bleach. Also, you can use plastic wrap to seal off the area over the water to keep the odor from coming into the room.

-- Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to [e-mail] Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA

your tree water has bacteria for sure from the sounds of things what would do is take the tree down which i know would be a pain afte getting it all decorated etc. but i still would do it cut about two t three good inches off of the bottom then take a wood chisel and make deep x mark in the base of the tree so that there is an open area fo the tree to take up nutrients i would then clean as much of the jun off of the bark area as u can that still has any sign of either mol scum or whatever. then i would reset up your tree then do as this link says hopefully u will have good luck with your christmas tree. my dad also would give the christmas tree some sugar water every fe days in order to keep the sap levels of the tree up it helped to sto the needles from dropping and once a week he would give the tree couple of asprins. goo luck, sockiescat

-- sockiescat

[sockiescat]

We have a Frazier Fur that we put up just after Thanksgiving. Ther is an odor coming from the water in the stand that is very much like vomit. I'm not kidding.

It might be caused by the sap. The nickname for true firs (all others besides Doug Fir) is **** Fir because of the odor of the sap when you peel the bark. As others have stated, you can use some chlorin bleach. Also, you can use plastic wrap to seal off the area over the water to keep the odor from coming into the room.

-- Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to [e-mail] Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA

your tree water has bacteria for sure from the sounds of things what would do is take the tree down which i know would be a pain afte getting it all decorated etc. but i still would do it cut about two t three good inches off of the bottom then take a wood chisel and make deep x mark in the base of the tree so that there is an open area fo the tree to take up nutrients i would then clean as much of the jun off of the bark area as u can that still has any sign of either mol scum or whatever. then i would reset up your tree then do as this link says hopefully u will have good luck with your christmas tree. my dad also would give the christmas tree some sugar water every fe days in order to keep the sap levels of the tree up it helped to sto the needles from dropping and once a week he would give the tree couple of asprins. the one thing that i did forget to mention is tha with the sugar water and aspirins u have to be careful because wit some trees it can make them dry out faster i know we used this wit spruce trees. goo luck, sockiesca

-- sockiescat

[Gideon]

John wrote: A bit of bleach won't hurt -- plants need trace amounts of chlorine anyway...notice your sink water hasn't killed anything lately!

=============

So, you will drink Clorox because you have noticed that sink water hasn't killed anything lately?

Your premise that bleach is called for in this case may be correct, but the logic upon which you base your opinion is sophomoric at best.

[Tex John]

Nope...used to work for a forestry company. Pine trees especially like a trace amount of copper of all things -- not that I'd throw a penny in the water...or maybe I should!

Point was, chlorine is a natural chemical the tree is used to and a bit more won't hurt it. Too much would be toxic but I guess in this case that would just mean that it died faster.

The original poster asked for ideas, not a treatise on a particular methodology; hence the simplified answer.

High school sophmore, even!

John Who is staying warm in Houston! When he isn't carrying Christmas trees out to people's cars and answering questions like this one during a cold front...

[John Wheeler]

The important thing to remember is this is a cut tree (e.g., dead, or dying), so discussions of how bad chlorine may be for living things is irrelevant. The chlorine kills the bacteria. Florists put chlorine in the water of flower arrangements to keep them fresher longer, because it kills the bacteria, not the already dead flowers. A little chlorine in a Christmas tree stand doesn't hurt, and usually helps. _________________ John Henry Wheeler Washington, DC USDA Zone 7

[Gideon]

Once again - premise may be correct, but logic is very faulty. Didn't I say that the first time?

[de Fragile Warrior Sports Supp]

What does it matter if you can't figure out how to quote so people know WTF you are talking about?

[Gideon]

Learn how to follow a thread, dimwit. It is extremely easy if you are marginally sentient. If he could get his paws to work on the keyboard, I believe that even my Doberman could master that skill.

Yes, de Fragile Warrior, I will have fries with that order. Thank you, and please don't forget to put paper napkins in the carryout bag.

==========

de Fragile Warrior Sports Supplies wrote "Gide> Once again - premise may be correct, but logic is very faulty.

What does it matter if you can't figure out how to quote so people know WTF you are talking about?

[de Fragile Warrior Sports Supp]

Oh, look, you went from non-quoting f****it to top-posting fucknozzle. When the bar is lowered you can still slither under it. Congrats!

[Cereus-validus-...........]

Oh looky Tex, the Broke Back Mountain boys are back and having another hissy fit.