This is Actually pretty Cool (How to keep your Xmas Tree Green)

[BlueJazz]

Especially the Scientific Part..at the end.....

The formula comes from the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in
Batavia, Ill., which normally engages in high-energy physics research and
attempts to answer questions about what the universe is made of.

You'll need to be prepared, so read these instructions before you buy your
tree and set it in your stand.

Ingredients:

. Two cups of Karo syrup

. Two ounces liquid chlorine bleach

. Two pinches Epsom salt

. One-half teaspoon Borax

. One teaspoon chelated iron

. Hot water to fill two-gallon bucket

You can purchase the Karo syrup, Borax and liquid chlorine bleach at a
supermarket. Epsom salts are available at a drug store, and the chelated
(KEE-lated) iron can be found at a garden shop or plant store.

Procedure:

. Fill a two-gallon bucket with hot water to within one inch of the top.
Stir thoroughly, dissolving ingredients. Set aside.

. With a saw, cut an inch off the bottom of the tree trunk.

. Immediately stand the trunk in the solution and leave it there for 24
hours.

. Place your tree in a tree stand that contains a well for the liquid; keep
the remaining solution.

. Use a plastic cup to fill the tree well.

. Every day without exception, ''top up'' the well with the solution.

How does the solution work?

In a nutshell, Fermi says the Karo syrup provides the sugar necessary to
allow the base of the tree to take up water. As much as 1 ½ gallons of water
can be taken up by the tree over a two-week period. Boron in the Borax
allows the tree to move the water and sugar out to every branch and needle.
Magnesium compounds in the Epsom salts and iron from the chelated iron
provide components for the production of chlorophyll to help keep the tree
green. And the bleach prevents mold from forming in the solution. Beyond
that, the needles won't drop, and you'll notice an increase in the tree's
natural evergreen fragrance.

You can find the recipe online at www.fnal.gov/pub/fermi news/ferminews99-1
2-17/talk.html.

[Canadian Socialist]

1. I heard a similar recipe on a gardening programme

It had corn syrup, a couple of pennies (which here are made of copper), and an aspirin. All boiled together in about 5 gallons of water. Apparently the copper is an anti-fungal; the aspirin acts as a sap thinner so the water and syrup are more easily drawn up the tree. We did this a couple of years ago, and it made a huge difference.
The tree became very green and put off a wonderful pine smell.

[LynzM]

2. Wow....

If I wouldn't have to figure out where to get all those things, I might think about doing this! (WTH is chelated iron? Off to google...)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. Thanks!

We'll have to try this!

[laheina]

4. Thanks!

Someone told me about the sugar thing once, but I just ended up getting ants. :) I'm totally going to try this.

[SoCalDem]

5. IF YOU HAVE PETS...BE CAREFUL

tossing out a dried up tree is cheaper than a vet bill or a dead pet..