The Kitchen Tool That'll Make Watering Your Christmas Tree A Breeze

Committing to getting a real Christmas tree is an undertaking, as you'll have to keep it alive throughout the holiday season. To ensure it thrives, it needs to always have enough water. Surprisingly, you can use a turkey baster to water your Christmas tree with ease. Simply fill the baster with water and release it into the tree stand until it is full without having to push any branches out of the way.

Anyone who has ever had a live Christmas tree knows that remembering to water it can be a challenge during the busyness of the holidays. Further, often the most annoying part of this task is that it can get messy, as you could spill water everywhere. It can also be difficult to bend down underneath the branches to get a clear view of the water tray, not to mention that there are usually gifts and a tree skirt that you don't want to get wet.

Depending on the type and size of the tree you choose, you may have an easier time watering it. Fraser furs and Colorado blue spruce trees tend to be more narrow and less full, while types with long branches may be more difficult to water. However, no matter what type or size you choose, using a turkey baster when watering your Christmas tree will make this task a lot easier.

A turkey baster is small and easy to maneuver, making it ideal for getting water into hard-to-reach areas of the Christmas tree stand. Typical turkey basters hold about an ounce to an ounce and a half of liquid. However, you can seek out extra large basters that can hold 2 ounces or more. You may also want to choose a plastic baster for safety purposes, as a glass one could shatter if dropped.

To get started, fill up a bucket or bowl with water, then set the container down on the floor near the tree. Squeeze the turkey baster bulb, then place the tube inside the bucket and release the bulb to fill the tube with water. Next, hold the baster over the base of the tree and empty out the water by squeezing the bulb again. Continue this process until you've given the tree a sufficient amount of water.

You may want to set aside the turkey baster you use to water the Christmas tree and keep it in an area that won't mistakenly be used for kitchen duties. After all, you won't want to use a turkey baster that was just immersed in dirty tree water to baste your holiday turkey.

A turkey baster can also be used to check the water level in your tree stand, which is especially helpful if branches or presents obstruct your view. Simply squeeze the bulb, insert the tube into the water reservoir as far as you can, and release the bulb. If no water fills the tube, then you need to add more water right away. You never want the water level to reach below the base of the tree. A 6-foot Christmas tree can absorb up to a gallon of water per day, so it's important to keep the water reservoir full. While you always want your tree to have enough water, you also want to be careful not to overfill the stand and cause a mess. Because a turkey baster can only hold a small amount of liquid, it will help with this problem as well.

Finally, this tool can help you remove water from the bottom of the Christmas tree stand at the end of the holiday season. This can be done before you take the tree down but after you remove the ornaments and lights. Squeeze the bulb, then insert it into the tree stand and release it to fill it with water. Then, hold it over a bucket and squeeze the bulb again to expel the water from the tube. Continue these steps until the base is empty, and then you're ready to properly recycle your Christmas tree.