Christmas tree smelly already!

[ChristmasTreeSmells]

Help! We have a real tree every year. Got this one on 5th Dec (bit earlier than usual) Forgot to put water in the stand for first 5 days (😬). Its quite stinky already. Anything I can do? Is it doomed? Do I just need to ignore it and light the smelly candles?!

What kind of smelly?

A bit musty/sour (but not full on rotting veg yet)
Def not nice pine xmassy smell

I'm sure it's the tree, though we do have a cat so perhaps I had better check he's not left us an early christmas gift dead mouse

I'd definitely blame the cat... Dry trees just drop needles!

It's not dropping needles.
I shall go and interview the cat 😀

I don't think it will be the tree as someone has already said they just drop pine needles. You dry trees to burn them. The only way it would rot is if you over watered consistently for months.

I would blame the cat too.

I’ve had decades of real Christmas trees and never had a smelly one. When they are past it they just go dry and drop all their needles. Blame the cat!

I have never had a smelly Christmas tree- and one year I didnt get around to taking it out the house finally until near the end of January and it was so dried out that all the needles fell off as soon as I touched it.....
Maybe change the water in the base, it might be going funky? And yes, the cat peeing on the tree or hiding presents under it for you seems the most likely.

I've never had a smelly tree - our tree's been up since earlier than yours, generally watered, and it's fine (and it's standing on underfloor heating!)

I think I'd go looking for something else causing the smell..

Thanks all. 🙂
I shall add this to the long list of likely cat-related misdemeanours and get on with wrapping /shopping / eating mince pies for breakfast!

Also not sure it’s the tree but would advise cutting a bit off the bottom of the trunk then ensuring you water very regularly just in case.

.

I have never known a smelly Christmas tree! Even the water in the stand doesn't last long enough to get stinky.

I know the smell you mean. To me it smells like bananas going off. I can't get a real tree any more because of it. Don't blame the poor cat!

Just get s new one. Close to Christmas the nurseries practically give them away.

Ive never had a smelly tree, they always smell of fresh pine

Christmas trees never smell bad in my experience- they dry out and go dry and drop their needles after a about 3 weeks, not rot!

I know the smell you mean op. We had a smelly tree about 15 years ago, musty horrible smell! I remember frantically googling what it could be but never got to the bottom of it. I think the smell went as it dried out. Took it down early that year! 😂

After five days (more since it will have been cut for longer) the raw surface of the trunk bottom will have sealed up and it won't be able to draw any water in. It would need to have been resawn to expose a fresh surface when you realised. If this is the case, you'll see that the water level in the holder hasn't gone down any and it might be going stagnant. I would check that nothing has fallen into the water and be rotting there either, just in case it's that (looking askance at the cat again!)

Ours is so smelly too. Even ds11 noticed and he’s usually nose blind. I googled it and someone said to put white vinegar in the water bowl so I’ve tried that.

Wish I’d got to this before the deletions, trying to work out how a relatively innocuous thread has ended up with so many holes….