The Simple DIY That Keeps Your Christmas Tree Watered While You're Away (No Pumps Needed)

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Although artificial Christmas trees have their advantages, for some people, there's nothing like the look and smell of a real one. Choosing a good tree that will last through the holiday season can be tricky, so knowing what to look for when buying a live Christmas tree is important. Once you've got it home, you'll probably want to put it in something like the Krinner Christmas Tree Stand, which has a water reservoir. It's vital to keep your tree hydrated, or you'll soon have needles all over the floor.

But what happens if you're away over the holidays? The stand can soon run dry, and you could come home to find your tree still has the baubles and tinsel hanging from it, but little else. Over on YouTube, a guy from Out Of The Weeds Lawn Care is taking time out from his day job to show an effective solution for watering your Christmas tree that doesn't need a pump.

In fact, the only items required are some kind of plastic tote and a length of tubing (wire and zip ties are optional). The tote will act as a large reservoir, and the tube works as a siphon between there and the stand. This simple DIY keeps the stand topped up and ensures the Christmas tree gets the water it needs. Let's look at that in a bit more detail.

You can work out how much water a Christmas tree needs to thrive throughout the season, but tree stands with reservoirs are usually sized to suit a particular tree height and diameter, saving you the effort. When choosing your large reservoir, think about the volume of water it can hold. A tall, narrow container will almost certainly empty too quickly. You may have a large tote that you use for laundry or storage that will do the job, or you can pick up something like the TnLoji 27 Gallon Plastic Storage Container at Amazon for around $15. If a 6-foot tree needs a gallon of water a day, then even at a quarter full, a tote that size could provide hydration for almost a week. Alternatively, use a measuring jug to fill up the stand, then see how many times that amount of water will go into your tote. It's not exact, but it will give you a good idea.

The tote in the video has clear sides, but that's not important. You'll probably want to cover it in wrapping paper to disguise it anyway. The siphon tube doesn't need to be clear either, so anything you have lying around the house should work, or you should be able to buy a few feet from a hardware store for just a couple of bucks. You could try a length of garden hose, but the stiffness and large diameter might be awkward to work with.

Two connected vessels filled with water will automatically balance out to the same level, so it's vital to measure the depth of the water container in the tree stand, deduct about a half inch as a safety margin, and then mark that as a maximum fill height inside the tote you're going to use. If you don't do that, the Christmas tree stand could overflow.

The hose must remain underwater in both the Christmas tree stand and the tote for the watering to work. In the video, we see him use metal fencing stakes and zip ties to prevent it from curling. Alternatives could be to drill a hole in the upper edge of the tote to thread the tube through and find an anchor point on the stand or tree trunk. Again, zip ties could hold the tube in both places. To start the process, you can put one end of the tube in the tote and suck the water through until it runs into the stand, or fill the tube with water, put a thumb over both ends, submerge them in the tote and stand, and then let go.

There are a number of nostalgic Christmas trends that are coming back in style this year. By using this simple DIY watering hack, you can make sure your live Christmas tree completes the festive picture perfectly, even if you go away.