My family loves the smell and feel of a live (cut) Christmas Tree. While I love fresh trees too, I dread watering the darn things. Our tree stand never seems to hold enough liquid, so I have to crawl under the branches every day to add water - which always spills on the floor and makes a mess. This year I went on Christmas Tree strike and didn't put up a tree. Not even the small, 4-foot fake tree which lives in our attic. Bah humbug!
However, overcome by Christmas spirit and a super sale price of $1 each, I was inspired to bring additional live plants into the house, decorating the stairs with pots and pots of poinsettias - which also require regular watering....sigh! The first time they needed watering, I moved them to the garage, watered them, wiped them off and replaced them on the stairs. It was laborious. Two days later, they needed watering again. I stood at the foot of the stairs and thought, "Maybe I should just toss them out and get fake poinsettias." Double Bah humbug!
Truthfully, I wasn't ready give up and trash the live Christmas decor. I stared at the pots and contemplated the messy job of watering a staircase full of plants. Then I had an epiphany. The instructions on the orchids I bought recently said to "water once a week with 3 ice cubes." Why not use the same idea for the poinsettias?
Happily, I can report success with the ice cube watering method! Each plant gets 4-5 cubes (about 3 oz water) a couple times a week. No water on the floor. No spills to clean. My young children can even do it for me and I don't worry about them making a mess.
Three cheers for Christmas success: Water with Ice Cubes!
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