Christmas Tree
Fire Safety

I got this from a newsletter that I receive--let's spread this one around!
--Nina Feldman Ninafel@aol.com

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!