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Christmas Tree
Fire Safety
Every year many dreams
result in tragedy as a result of Christmas trees catching on
fire.
Traditionally, we take a dead tree (usually a spruce
or fir, which is highly flammable when dry)
not properly prepared, set it in our homes and
wrap it
with electric wires.
What an invitation for a fire! Provided you follow the directions
carefully, this remedy should make your Christmas tree fireproof.
Ingredients:
Two cups of Karo syrup
Two ounces of liquid chlorine bleach
Two pinches of Epsom salt
One-half teaspoon of Borax
One teaspoon of chelated iron
Hot water
You can purchase the Karo syrup, Borax and liquid chlorine bleach
from your supermarket. The Epsom salt can be purchased from the drug
store and the
chelated iron (pronounced key-lated) can be purchased from a garden
shop or plant store.
Procedure:
1. Mix your fireproofing ingredients listed above. Fill a two-gallon
bucket with hot water to within one inch of the top and add the ingredients. Stir
thoroughly, dissolving ingredients. Put to side.
2. With a saw, take your recently-purchased Christmas tree and make
a fresh cut at the base on the tree trunk. Cut an inch off the base
of the tree.
Try to make a level cut.
3. Immediately stand the trunk of the tree in the solution and leave
for 24 hours.
4. Keep the remaining solution. Place your tree in a tree stand that
contains a well where liquids can be poured.
5. When the tree is in its final resting place, use a plastic cup
to pour solution from the bucket into the tree well. Fill the well.
6. Every day without exception, the well of the tree stand must be "topped
up" with the solution from the two-gallon bucket.
Follow these simple directions and your tree should be fireproofed.
It may save your home and family from those fire tragedies we hear
about around
the holidays.
If you're curious, after Christmas when you remove your tree, snap
off a branch and try to set it on fire, OUTDOORS.
How does the solution work?
In a nutshell, the Karo syrup provides the sugar necessary to allow
the base of the tree to take up water. Up to 1.5 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 in
your tree. Magnesium
compounds in the Epsom salt and iron from the chelated iron provide
essential components for the production of chlorophyll which will
keep the tree green.
The bleach prevents mold from forming in your solution. Some of the
other beneficial side effects of this procedure are that
the needles will not drop and you will notice an increase in natural
pine fragrance. Have a safe and happy holiday! |
