Christmas is just around the corner folks and we all know what that means; Christmas Trees! The specific Christmas tree is known as Pinus radiate or Monterey Pine. This particular just can’t be replaced, however, the amazing experience that the tree imparts is followed by the covering of floor in pine needles. The pine needles are the result of tree fading away from life. Now, thanks to a group of Australian schoolgirls, a method has been discovered that allows for extension of these trees’ lives and therefore, allow you to keep the Christmas spirit alive for a bit longer.
The year-7 science class from Kambala in Rose Bay, Sydney carried out tests under a number of different sets of conditions. These scenarios included placement of branches in containers that were filled with tap water, energy drink, hot water, beer and finally a container that had water and after placing the branch was sprayed with hairspray.
The experiment conducted involved 50 branches of Pinus radiate that were divided into a group of 5 with 10 branched in each group. The groups were observed for a total of 27 days before drawing any conclusion. During this time period, the health of photosynthetic leaves was ascertained by using a device that employs the use of a light pulse to determine that how efficiently the pine needles were able to complete conversion of light energy into chemical energy.
Professor Angela Moles, the plant ecologist from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and also award winning personal, says; ‘The plants went brown very quickly and were not very festive at all. But the hair spray group were healthier than the control plants that were just kept in water. They even started sprouting fresh green needles.’ She worked on the study as part of the program, Scientist in Schools Programs, being run by CSIRO.
Although the experiments have not been able to ascertain as to how and why this happens, Professor Moles speculates that the coating may have been able to allow for the plant to no be able to sense chemicals that are emitted from decaying branches and trigger more decay. The process is similar to how a single rotten fruit in the fruit basket results in the other triggering of other fruits going bad. ‘Or it may be that the hair spray simply blocks the pores in the leaves, keeping the moisture in.’ she gave another explanation.
Keeping the reason aside, if you’re planning to make sure that your Christmas tree looks green and survives a few more days, then we suggest you try this. Do get back to us about how it worked for you!