By Tim Morehouse
Enquirer contributor

After you get home with a tree, how do you keep it fresh until Christmas ? Here are some tips:

Cut tree

Until ready to decorate the tree, store it in a cool place away from sun, wind and heat.

Trim the trunk end on the diagonal 1 inch above the original cut. This opens the pores and helps the tree absorb water.

Plunge stump into a bucket of fresh warm water. Keep the tree in water until you move it inside.

Before decorating, mist the needles and branches with water.

Buy at least a 1-gallon water stand. Fill it with a mixture of 7 UP and water. Check water level in 12 hours, then every 24 hours after that.

In the house, place the tree away from fireplaces, heaters, televisions and sunny windows.

Unplug tree lights when you leave home or go to bed.

Live tree

Make certain the root ball is solid with no signs of crumbling.

As soon as you buy a tree, locate and dig a hole where you want to plant it; the ground might be frozen after New Year's. Dig a hole that is wider and slightly deeper than the circumference of the root ball. Store the dug soil in the garage in a container.

Introduce the tree gradually to warm temperatures inside a house by storing it a garage or shed.

If there is plastic over the burlap, remove it and water the tree. Allow excess water to run off the root ball, then rewrap it with plastic to protect your floors before moving the tree inside.

Don't leave the tree inside too long - two to three weeks is maximum to ensure the tree remains dormant.

When it's time for the tree to go outside, reintroduce it to the cold with a layover in the garage.

Mix Canadian sphagnum peat moss with the saved soil in the bottom of the hole. Position the tree in the hole (a job for two).

Once the tree is in place, water thoroughly. Cut the twine that holds the burlap around the root ball but leave the burlap intact, it will rot with time. Pack peat moss and soil tightly around the root ball. Water thoroughly once again.