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Live Christmas Trees

How to keep a live (potted) Christmas tree alive and well till planting time.

 

Once upon a time, we used to do the standard cut Christmas tree thing. We were never very fond of artificial trees (although there are some that do look pretty darn real) and would pick out a cut tree because they smelled great and were "real" after all. I always felt kind of bad though after Christmas, as they essentially became trash. It's true that they can be recycled, but I thought it would be great to actually be able to plant a live tree after Christmas, and watch it grow for years (decades?) to come.

So about 5 years ago, we started to do just that, and I thought I'd post some pictures and describe the steps involved if you're thinking about doing the same. We're not experts, but we haven't lost any trees yet so we must be doing something right!

First off, a few caveats:

1) Live trees and the pots they're in are heavy...so the tree you do this with is going to be smaller than a cut tree. If you're only happy if you have a tree that goes from the floor all the way to the ceiling, then this probably isn't for you.

2) A live Christmas tree should only be inside for a week or so, to prevent it from coming out of dormancy. So again, if you want a Christmas tree that you can put up the day after Thanksgiving and leave it up till January, you'll be better off with a cut or artificial tree.

If you can deal with a small tree that comes inside a day or two before Christmas and only stays inside for about a few days, then read on...

 

Step 1: Picking a tree:

You want to find a place that has small potted spruce trees. You may have to call around a bit. Beware the ads that say "LIVE TREES!" because what they usually mean is trees that were live, but have been cut. Try Building Supply stores that also sell trees, as well as plant nurseries if you're not having any luck.

Pick a tree that looks really healthy, with as few dead branches as possible. This picture was taken on December 12th, 2007. We usually get a tree a couple of weeks before Christmas.

 

I picked this fat little guy...not perfectly symmetrical, but healthy and dense. They're pretty heavy because of all the soil in the pot, so a cart helps here.

 

You'll need a good sized vehicle, so if you don't have a van or SUV or pickup truck, use cookies or eggnog to bribe a friend that does. As you can see, the tree does not need to stay upright if you're careful. Here I've laid it on its side in my van, Strap it down so it doesn't roll around too much.

 

Step 2: Cold Storage. From this point forward (untill Christmas Eve), the tree will live on our front porch. We've put lights on it so it can join in the festivities even before its introduction to the indoors on Christmas Eve. At this point, all that needs to be done is to make sure the soil doesn't dry out completely. If it gets warm out, give it some water. If it stays cold, you can put ice or snow on the surface of the soil in the pot...as it melts, it will water the roots.

The tree is in a state of dormancy now. It's not growing, it's just waiting for Spring. You want to keep it in that state of dormancy, so don't give it warm water.

It's now December 24th...time to bring it inside.

 

Since the tree had snow on it, I just put down some plastic to catch the water as it melts.

 

The final setup. We put the tree up on a milk carton to give it more height, with a basin under the pot to catch any excess water. Then the whole base will later be covered with that Christmas-tree-base-fabric-thingie.

At this point, do what you can to keep the tree from coming out of dormancy. We'll only keep it inside for a few days, but in addition, close any heating vents that are near the tree, (you don't want it being blasted with hot air) and keep the window shades closed if it's in front of a South facing window so it doesn't get blasted with sunlight.

Put some snow or ice cubes on the soil surface to keep the soil from drying out. Most homes are really dry.

 

Doonie the cat is fascinated by the new tree that has appeared indoors.

 

All decorated.

 

Ooooohh. Pretty.

Presents will be opened Christmas morning, and in just a few days, the tree will go back outside to prevent it from coming out of dormancy.

 

 

Back outside! The tree will stay here for the next few months, until Spring has come and the soil is warm enough to be worked. We'll continue to make sure the soil in the pot doesn't dry out too much.

Other than that, it continues its slumber, waiting for Spring to come.

 

Step 3: Planting the Tree. Fast forward five months. This was shot on May 31st 2007. The weather has been nice and the soil is warm, so it's time to plant. Notice the ribbon tied to the branch. I do that to mark which side of the tree is facing South. When I remove the tree from the pot and set it in the ground, I'll keep that ribbon facing South so the tree doesn't get turned too much. If it did, there's a chance that it could get burned if the side that's been facing North for months suddenly got lots of sunlight.

 

Time to dig a hole. You've probably read that when you plant a tree, you've got to dig a gigantic hole the size of a Volkswagon, and then fill it with tons of soil amendments like peat moss, and composted manure, and bagged soil mixes, etc. I actually don't do much of that with pine trees, as I've read some conflicting advice when it comes to tree planting. Some say that you don't need to add anything, and the tree will learn to accept the native soil faster, rather than starting off in a "ubermix" that's very unlike the actual soil in the area. I'll leave that call up to you.

 

As I knock the tree out of the pot, some of the soil from the rootball comes loose. I'll mix that up with some of the native soil.

It's really important to not let the rootball sit exposed to the sun and the wind. This can dry the roots out really quickly, which makes for a sad tree. Don't take it out of the pot until you're ready to plant it.

 

When you're placing the tree, try to make it so that the surface of the soil in the pot matches the level of the surrounding soil. You don't want to plant it too deep or too high. If it's too deep, soil can fall in around the base of the trunk of the tree, which can "choke" it. If it's too high, the moisture from the rootball can be drawn out without protection from the surrounding soil.

 

All planted. The remaning soil has been filled in, tamping it down firmly as it's filled in, and any extra is used to form a shallow basin around the base of the tree to help prevent any runoff. There isn't likely to be much runoff though, as I water my trees and plants using drip irrigation. You can see the black dripline leading to the tree from the left. Initially though, I'll give it a good long soaking with a hose.

All that's left now is to make sure the tree gets enough water as it grows, and to keep weeds and tall grasses from growing too close to the tree until it becomes more established.

 

Fast forward another seven months. It's now December 4th 2008, just about time to buy the tree for this Christmas.

Here I am with the tree planted in May...it's done really well, and has already had some new growth, so the roots are doing well.

 

Trees from Previous Years

 

Tree planted from Christmas 2006. Doing well.

 

Tree planted from Christmas 2005.

This guy had a rough first year, and we weren't sure if it was going to do too well, then it took off. It did really well this year, so it should be good now.

 

Tree planted from Christmas 2004. Mutant dogs (Aspen, Patches, and Amy) attempt to terrorize the tree, but it is unfazed.

By the time the trees get this big, each year brings more and more growth. It's great watching them get bigger every year. If I move away from here someday, I'll have to come back and visit, to see how much they've grown.

 

Well that's it for this article. I'll update every couple years as the trees get bigger. Hope this was of some help to you if you've considered doing the same!

-Eric Gooch

 

 

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