There’s a Christmas tree hack working its way through TikTok and promising to make your tree grow healthier and happier but, as is the case with many rumors online, there's not much truth to it.
Some creators are saying the best way to ensure your Christmas tree stays bright, happy, and healthy is to add a bit of sugar to your watering can. Some folks who use sugar water to help their Christmas tree bloom add one whopping cup of sugar per gallon of water in order to help their tree live longer.
The myth could have also come from one creator on TikTok, who posted a video in 2022 urging her followers to mix some corn syrup or sugar into the water as a food source for the tree.
Another creator who seems to work at a Christmas tree farm even recommended it herself by providing specific instructions about boiling some water and adding some sugar to the base of the tree.
Oftentimes, there's a packet of floral preservative solution that comes with fresh cut flowers. These solutions generally include biocides, acidifiers, chelating agents, water conditioners, and, you guessed it, sugar. The sugar in these packets serves as a nutrient for the cut flowers, providing them with an energy source.
Although it’s a fair assumption to think of a Christmas tree as a giant flower, freshly cut flowers, and a massive Christmas tree are not the same thing. There’s no proof that adding sugar to a Christmas tree will make it last any longer. It probably won’t hurt your tree, but it likely won’t help it.
In fact, there is a consensus amongst researchers that you do not need to add anything to your Christmas tree water. Researchers at Michigan State University's Department of Horticulture and Department of Forestry recommended in November
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