Best remedy to keep your tree fresh? Water

Theories about how to keep Christmas trees fresh would have you treating them with everything from a can of Sprite to aspirin tablets.

But nothing seems to work without the tried-and-true H2O, according to a number of local Christmas tree vendors.

"The three most important things are water, water and water," said Mike Geimer, of Geimer Greenhouses Inc. in Long Grove.

But seriously, Geimer said the stand containing the tree should hold at least a gallon of water at a time. "A typical Fraser fir will draw up more than a gallon a day at first."

A tree will lose its ability to absorb water the longer it stays indoors, he said.

"Trees are plenty hydrated coming in," he said. "It's the drying air indoors that's the problem."

"A lot of folks don't realize how much water a tree will absorb, so they want to make sure that they have plenty of water in the stand," said Bob Benning, power specialist with The Home Depot in Mount Prospect.

If one is not going to put the tree in the stand right away, one can simply leave the tree as it is, making sure, though, to leave it outside to maintain freshness, Benning said.

Once you decide to put the tree in water, it is important to make a fresh cut a couple of inches from the bottom of the tree, said Wally Schmidtke, garden center manager and master gardener of Pesche's Garden Center and Nursery in Des Plaines.

A fresh cut opens up the arteries of the tree so it is able to draw up water, he said.

Once the tree is on display, one can take various steps to prolong its indoor life. For one thing, it is important to keep the tree away from any heat sources, Benning said.

Geimer said a cooler indoor temperature will also help. There is a huge difference humidity-wise between a house at 72 degrees and one at 68, he said.

In addition to temperature controls, one can also apply preservatives.

Geimer and Schmidtke said anti-desicant sprays like Wilt-Pruf and Cloud Cover will seal up the trees so they don't lose moisture as quickly.

"It seals the moisture into the tree, and so it prevents drying out," Schmidtke said.

"The downside of that is it diminishes the fragrance of the tree," Geimer said.

Schmidtke recommends placing the tree in a bucket of lukewarm water and adding to the water a tree preservative like Prolong. "It will go up into the artery system of the tree and keep it fresh."

Benning, of The Home Depot, said one can also put an additive in the water. They contain water and sugar but have some vitamins as well, he said. You can buy them at stores or you can add a can of clear soda, such as 7-Up, he suggested.

"If it's a large tree stand, you can actually put in almost half a can of soda pop with a mixture of water," said Benning, an Arlington Heights resident.

And it's important to kick the tires before you buy the tree. "Inspect the tree well. Give it a good shake; make sure needles don't drop," Schmidtke said.

A key factor in determining the quality of the tree is what part of the country it comes from and how much water is in that area during the summer. Schmidtke said trees from the Carolinas, Oregon and northern Wisconsin are high quality.

Probably the best sellers at Pesche's are the Fraser firs, named for botanist John Fraser, who explored the southern Appalachians in the late 1700s. They are dark green with flattened needles and pyramid-shaped, upward turning branches.

Schmidtke said a good fresh tree should last way past New Year's.

And, he added, a Christmas tree can still be useful once the holiday is over. He endorses recycling the branches of Christmas trees for a mulch on your perennials.