DIY Christmas Tree Preservative Recipes From The Pantry

I had a spectacular Christmas tree last year that, unfortunately, dried out quickly. To prevent this from happening again, I went online to see if there are Christmas tree preservative recipes that I could make.

There are quite a few interesting suggestions for Christmas tree preservatives that you may not have heard of. Fortunately, most can be made with items that are already likely in your pantry.

You can also use these solutions with cut flowers.

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Christmas Tree Preservative Ingredients and Recipes

(Yes, I buy the little bottle of premixed Christmas tree preservative for sale at the tree lot, but it doesn’t seem to always work as well as it should.)

The most popular homemade Christmas tree preservatives use common household ingredients. You need a food source, a disinfectant (to prevent algae, etc.), and an acidifier to help plants absorb more water and food.

Christmas Tree Food Recipe #1

1 gallon of water
4 tsp Clorox bleach
2 cups Light Corn Syrup
4 tsp lemon juice or vinegar (optional)

You can store this mixture for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you decide to add lemon juice or vinegar, add it to the water and not to the bleach directly because otherwise, you risk toxic fumes. In light of that, you may want to skip the lemon juice or vinegar altogether — some recipes use iron tablets instead.

Christmas Tree Food Recipe #2

1 gallon of water
1 can of 7-UP (or equivalent) that isn’t diet
splash of bleach

Mix all ingredients together. Some people skip the bleach if they have pets who tend to drink water.

Christmas Tree Food Recipe #3

1 gallon of water
4 tsp sugar dissolved in water
1 copper penny

Mix the water and sugar. Add a penny to the Christmas tree bowl and pour the mixture on top. Save any extra for later. The copper from the penny acts as a disinfectant.

The More “Interesting” Christmas Tree Preservative Recipes

1. Add vodka to the water. The myth is that the vodka will allow the water to spread throughout the tree faster. Not sure about you, but when I add vodka to myself, I totally dehydrate. BUT, I was at the lot again yesterday and overheard a staff member mention this. Use at your own risk.

2. Add aspirin to the water. This promotes a better flow of water into the trunk. People claim this works.

3. Run a whole-house humidifier. This seems impractical but some people swear by it.

However, all of your efforts will be wasted if the level of water falls below the trunk of the tree. I’m guilty of that.

I suppose I should also remind you to use these methods at your own risk. I’m going with the first recipe sans lemon or vinegar.

Other Tips for Maintaining a Fresh Christmas Tree

When Christmas trees are cut, they are able to seal their pores by oozing sap. This prevents water and food from being absorbed. You’ll want to cut at least two inches off the bottom before taking it home and putting water in its bowl.

You can also cut a small slit at the bottom of the tree so that water can be more easily absorbed. The lot where we buy our Christmas trees does this for us automatically every year.

Also, if you have pets and small children, make sure that whatever food you feed your tree is nontoxic. I would stick to 7-Up and water.

What are your best recipes for Christmas tree preservatives?