If you consider Christmas trees as a flower, rather than a forest tree, their care will be simple. Sometimes, however, you will encounter a problem where a tree refuses to drink water. It is important to troubleshoot in this case.
If it won’t take in water, it will unlikely last very long. And let’s face it, Christmas trees can be pricey and time-consuming. You want your Christmas trees to last all through the holiday season. It’s important to keep the tree hydrated. A brown and dry Christmas tree leaves messy needles on your floor.
If the tree is set up in a proper-sized stand with the right amount of water but doesn’t seem to be drinking, there are ways to encourage it to hydrate. Let’s discuss what to do when your Christmas tree doesn’t seem to care about quenching its thirst.
The Short Answer
There are several reasons your tree may not be drinking water. It could be a number of things. Problems with sap deposits. This may require a new cut. Some additives can also prevent uptake.
The Long Answer
Before understanding why your tree isn’t drinking water, we must understand how much water it should be absorbing. If it isn’t very large and the stand has a large reservoir, it could drink less water than you expected.
It is best to calculate how much water you should drink in 24 hours. measure the trunk’s diameter. Every inch of your tree’s diameter will require a quart of water a day. This means that a four-inch diameter tree trunk will require about one gallon of daily water.
The day after you bring your tree home, it is important that the tree begins to take in water. As with cut flowers, trees that are not watered for 24 hours will quickly decline. There are several reasons why a plant might not be consuming water.
Fresh Cut
A good retailer will give the trunk a new cut when you purchase from a tree lot or another retailer. This makes sense if you think about how cut flowers are made. This is because a fresh cut will remove the dried-up trunk portion.
The time it takes you to bring the tree into your stand and get it filled with water will determine how much water you need. Another fresh cut. The tree needs to be cut again after it has dried for around four hours. Don’t skip this step because it’s arduous getting that tree in and out of the stand.
It is a bit harder to do if the tree has already been placed in a stand or decorated. A decorated tree requires at least two people in order to get a clean cut. However, it is the best solution. I wish I could tell you there is some great trick to doing this, but if there is, I haven’t figured it out yet.
Hot Water
Sap is the most common cause of a tree not taking in water the first day. The sap is sent to the cut in the trunk of the tree by the tree. In the wild, if a branch is cut, the tree seals it to prevent infection.
It is not possible for trees to adapt to being cut as Christmas trees. We must help them. What should you do if this happens? Try watering your plants with hot water.
This step should be taken when you put up the tree. When I tell you to give the tree hot water, what I really mean is boiling hot water. It may sound like you’re about to kill your tree. Don’t worry: there is a science to this method, and it’s pretty sound.
We spoke about how the sap from the tree can heal the new cut. First, use hot water to dissolve any sap that might have been formed. This allows the tree to begin drinking.
Do not do this every time you water. It is not a good idea to water the tree repeatedly with hot tap water. It may be enough to avoid the awkward situation. You should give your skin plenty of water over the next 24 hours. You might be surprised.
Additives
Many people have suggestions on what to add to the water of your Christmas tree to extend its life. I’m sure they are all well-intentioned, but for the most part, they are unnecessary, and some of them can not only inhibit water uptake but cause dehydration.
Some people have told you that bleach can help to disinfect your tree or dissolve the sap covering. Bleach will kill your plant tissue, and reduce the life span of your trees. Other sources say to give it a stiff drink, but alcohol is dehydrating, so I can’t recommend that either.
Aspirin or lemon juice is unlikely to damage the plant and may even acidify water. Evergreens are generally fond of this. However, just because a plant likes acidic soil doesn’t mean it likes an acidic environment once cut. Acidity helps to break down nutrients that are already in the ground. Without the soil, it isn’t necessarily helpful.
Just a little bit Flower food could be beneficial to provide some nutrients, but that isn’t needed either. All your tree really needs is plain tap water. It is best to stick with the basics if the tree trunk is absorbing plain water.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your Christmas tree green and healthy through the holidays is always our main objective, so when the tree isn’t drinking, troubleshooting is a good idea. Plants are no exception. Keep things simple. Give your trunk a good cut before you put it in a stand. And give it lots of plain tap-water to drink.