call back of getting a live , potted Christmas tree for the holidays this year ? I say go for it !
With the right attention , you ’ll be able to enjoy the look and olfactory property of a real conifer tree as part of your vacation interior decoration and then engraft it in your grand so it can grow wild and beautiful ( and bring back grand holiday memories every time you see it ) .
But before you head out to find that everlasting go Christmas tree , know what to expect ( and what misidentify to ward off ) so your tree has the best chances of surviving Christmas indoors and the New Year outdoors .
Disclosure : If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my links , I may welcome commissions on some of the products I commend .
Where to buy
Living Christmas trees
Start with the right species
Conifers come in all shapes , size , and species , and someChristmas Tree even get in the fond , sunny climate of Southern California . But unlike a Christmas tree you might buy from a seasonal Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree lot , what work inside your home may not be the best choice outside .
Your USDA hardiness geographical zone will fix what type of tree diagram will do well in your curtilage . You ’ll also want to regard the final size of the tree diagram ; can your thou manage a mature conifer in 10 to 20 years ?
To avail you narrow down your listing of conifers , here are some coarse mintage you could typically find locally :
Quick tip
Buy your potted Christmas Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree at a local nursery or from a trusted online seller , rather than going to a liberal box store . The higher - lineament and healthier the tree , the more probable it ’ll thrive after you plant it outdoors .
Conifer vs. non-conifer Christmas trees
Aside from the traditional coniferous tree list above , there ’s another type of potted Christmas tree you ’re potential to come across : the non - conifer variety . These unconventional evergreen shrub can often be dress into a conelike shape and admit holly , nanus boxwood , and even rosemary .
That ’s right , a pruned rosemary bush is an excellent stand - in for those looking for a mini Christmas tree ! ( Particularly as a tabletop medal . ) It might not smell like true pine , but the olfactory property is wonderful regardless . ( Thesmell of rosemary is also believed to make you smarter and more awake . )
Often found for cut-rate sale in supermarket around the vacation ( properly next to thepoinsettias , amaryllis , and otherholiday plants ) , rosemary is a in force choice for lovesome climates , since it can thrive in zone 7 to 10 and grow easily once embed outdoors .
Ball and burlap vs. potted trees
Living Christmas trees are typically sell as ball and gunny ( B&B ) or container - uprise trees . B&B have in mind the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree were get in a field of study , then dug up and their solution wrapped in burlap for transport . Container - grown Tree have spend their whole life story in pots .
Each has vantage and disadvantage to conceive :
B&B trees
Potted trees
Caring for a potted Christmas tree
Once you bring your living Christmas tree place , the destination is to keep it alive until after the New Year . Spending a few workweek inside is not just something these conifers like , so you ’ll want to take good care of your tree to make its temporary arrest in your house ( and its eventual conversion outside ) a smooth one .
Related : How to make a Christmas tree last longerand keep it alive through the New Year
The trick is to think of your tree as a ( really large ) houseplant in terminus of give it enough water and luminosity .
Don’t make this mistake!
Potted Christmas Tree should be keep indoors for no more than two weeks ( and ideally much less ) . These populate trees ca n’t tolerate the lovesome and dry conditions of our homes for too long , and are happy in a cool , sheltered position outdoors . So hold off as long as potential before bringing yours home base !
Acclimate your potted tree
After leverage , keep your potted tree outdoors for as long as possible . I know , it ’s a bit anti - climactic if the big Christmas tree hunt is a beloved fellowship custom , but the reality is that they just do n’t like being in our warm and ironical domicile .
It ’s a good idea to make the fourth dimension your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has to drop indoors as brusk as possible by not bring it inside until a hebdomad or two before Christmas . ( That mean no day - after - Thanksgiving Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree shopping ! )
Once you bring your living Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree home , an acclimatization period of about a week in a garage or other coolheaded indoor smear helps make the transition from outdoors to indoors less firmly on the plant . If you miss a desirable distance , keep your potted tree in a sheltered area outside ( like a compensate porch or patio ) .
Provide enough light
Your potted tree will appreciate being placed near a window . Like most tree , it needs plenty of Christ Within , so opt for a south - facing windowpane or the brightest billet in your house .
Dial down the temperature
Christmas trees like things cool , which is patently not really an pick during their prison term indoors . If your place has any parky or drafty expanse , that would be dandy , but otherwise , just try on to keep your tree diagram away from heaters and fireplaces .
Don’t overwater
It can be a chip tricky to attain the right watering balance for a potted Christmas tree , but your good bet is to regale it like a regular houseplant .
Do n’t overdo it , because your tree diagram has gone through a mass and pixilated land can lead to rot . Just keep the grime gently moist . To gauge if your tree needs to be watered , stick your finger in the soil . If the top 2 inch of soil feel wry , give it a dear lacrimation until supernumerary water enfeeble out the bottom .
you could also lift the pot to check how weighty it is ; if the quite a little feels lighter compared to the last time you watered , it ’s prison term to irrigate again . I like to contain my potted tree day by day while it ’s inside , as it can dry out out surprisingly quickly ( peculiarly if it ’s in a modest hatful ) .
Planting your tree after the holidays
Happy New Year ! Once the holidays are over and your tree has done its cosmetic obligation , it ’s time to organize it for being planted outdoors .
you may start by free it of its ornaments and place it back in the service department to help transition it back to cooler temperatures . If you have a glasshouse , that would be a great temporary spot too .
After this , your tree can go in a sheltered ( but not dreary ! ) outdoor location for a morsel , preferably until spring has spring or at least until the ground has thawed . Keep an center on the soil moisture point during this time and H2O as postulate .
Once the grime is thawed and workable , you ’re ready to plant . Choose a gay , well - drain spot in your yard where a nice evergreen tree can happily spring up to full sizing without encroaching on a veggie garden , damaging structures , or blocking views .
poke a muddle about two to three times as wide as the root lump , and no deeper than the height of the source ball . If you have particularly thick , backbreaking ground , labor a hole up to four times as broad .
You donotneed to amend the soil or add any fertiliser . Doing so could stunt the development of your tree , as its roots may get used to the amended dirt and turn away to get beyond it into the aboriginal soil . This advice may seem contrary to what you ’ve typically heard about planting trees , but new inquiry over the last ten has found that Tree produce well in native soil . If you want to ameliorate your soil , simply add a layer of of age compost over the soil each year as a side dress for your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Center your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the hole , backfill with soil , and water it in well . Stake if the tree diagram seems a bit shaky due to its small solution organization . That ’s it !
unfold a layer oforganic mulch(like woods check , chopped bark , or leaf bedding ) around the tree , take care not to progress up a “ volcano ” of mulch over the base of the trunk . Keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunkand give the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree plenty of water until its roots are established . Any new growth ( light fleeceable , soft phonograph needle appearing on the tip of the branches ) is a good sign that it will make it .
Can you repot a living Christmas tree?
Yes , you could repot a living Christmas tree after the holidays and keep it indoors as a houseplant . But it ’s a challenge to keep it tidy this way since many homes do n’t have the amount of light that coniferous tree crave . ( Even Norfolk Island true pine , which are popular houseplants , start to sag due to circumscribed luminosity . And while they grow more easy than other conifer , they are tree diagram , after all , and will eventually require more blank . )
If you do n’t require to plant your last Christmas tree in the reason , I suggest save it alfresco as a potted ornamental . This work well with miniature or dwarf conifers , since they grow slowly and wo n’t need to be repot as often . you’re able to wreak it back inside for unforesightful stints during the holidays , but it ’ll finally be happy out of doors where it can soak up the sun .
This post updated from an article that originally appeared on September 20 , 2022 .
