Potted Living Christmas Tree

An easy environmentally friendly project to create a lifetime of growing memories.

What a great way to enjoy your Christmas tree year round. You can celebrate this special season by first enjoying your living tree inside and then permanently adding it to your landscape outside. By introducing a living Christmas tree into your traditions, it eliminates the process of buying a tree for a few weeks and then having to throw it away, and lessens fire hazards. It creates lasting memories, can save you money, is easy to do, and the fragrance of living trees always adds to the holiday season.

Selecting a Tree and Pot:

• You can choose from many types of holiday trees or create your own fun traditions with an unusual tree. We provide a list of traditional trees and their growth characteristics at the end of this article.
• It is easiest to select a pot that will allow you to drop the tree with its nursery bucket right into the pot. Be sure to select a pot with a saucer since this will require watering while it is inside the home.
• If you are going to plant the tree in the pot, instead of leaving it in the nursery bucket, be sure to select a pot that is already sealed inside or seal it yourself prior to planting.
• Select a pot that will complement the shape of the tree. After it has outgrown its original pot it can be re-used for many holiday seasons or it can be replanted for any area of your home.

Here are a few Choices of Pots for the Holidays

Here are a Few Types of Trees that can be used for a Living Christmas Tree

Few Types of Trees that can be used for a Living Christmas Tree:

• Douglas Fir: This low maintenance tree is native to the Northwest, grows well in most soil, but thrives in an acid, alkaline soil, and likes full or partial sun. Once mature, it grows to a height between 70-100 feet and a mature width of 60 feet. Its growth rate is medium, 1 to 3 feet a year once it is established, but can vary with environmental conditions.
• Western Red Cedar: Native to the Northwest, is big and bushy, being one of the largest in the forest, likes full or partial sun, and is shade tolerant. Its mature height is 80 to 200 feet and mature width is up to 50 feet. Its growth rate is medium, 1 to 3 feet a year once established, depending on environmental conditions.
• Norway Spruce: One of the most popular living trees, likes full sun, and is widely adaptable to conditions and soil. Its mature height reaches between 50 and 80 feet with a mature width of 20 to 40 feet and a moderate growth rate.

Watering:

• The tree should be thoroughly watered after it is placed in the pot. This includes soaking the entire root ball. The tree will need to be watered regularly once it is inside the home, as it needs more water than when outdoors. The soil should stay damp, but not wet. Misting the tree occasionally is a good idea if it will not affect the decorations or lights. The frequency of watering may be lessened by surrounding the root ball with a mixture of sandy loam soil, mixed with moist, but not wet peat moss.

Acclimating the Tree:

• Allow the tree to adjust to the inside of your home by first keeping in an unheated area, such as an enclosed porch or garage, for three to four days. For best results indoors, keep the tree away from direct sunlight and heating ducts and in the coolest part of the room.
• The potted tree can stay in your home for up to 10 days, keeping it in warmer temperatures any longer may promote growth that would possibly freeze when transplanted outside. Keep this in mind when getting your tree so that you do not buy it too early.

Decorating:

• Use only low heat lights on the living trees. Most lights that you purchase today are low heat lights. Metal tinsel may be harmful to the tree and the little critters outside. It is also a good idea to unplug the lights whenever you leave the house and over night.

Transplanting:

• When you are ready to put your living Christmas tree back outside, it is important to follow the reverse procedure, allowing the tree to adjust to the outdoors again, by keeping in an unheated, enclosed area for three to four days. Living Christmas trees are fast growing and can stay in their original pot no longer than two years. After this time it is best to plant the tree in its permanent location.

Other Tips:

• You may also want to consider using a rolling cart or dolly for easy moving from one area to another.
• Colored Christmas paint or snow should be avoided as well as direct contact with hot Christmas lights that may burn foliage.
• The use of an anti-desiccant or anti-wilt product will help retain water and minimize water loss.
• Check moisture daily and make sure that the root ball stays moist, watering slowly may help the root ball to soak a little at a time.
• Pay attention to the way the root ball is wrapped. If burlap is used around the root ball, it should be loosened and folded open to water properly. Check with the nursery to make sure you understand the correct watering techniques.