Armed with the right info, you too can successfully decorate your home for the holidays with a live tree (roots and all!) . Then, use it to landscape your yard once the holiday season ends.
Imagine yourself gifting the planet with another tree and adding a low-maintenance planting to your landscape. Don’t worry if this sounds daunting. Even if you are a gardening newbie, with a little planning, you got this!
Avoid Rookie Mistakes
When my husband and I bought a living evergreen tree for our new house for Christmas, we jumped in before thinking it all they way through. Despite much cursing (him, not me! ) and hand-wringing (me, of course) we managed through and our Canaan Fir evergreen now thrives in our backyard. Read on for pointers on how to avoid the mistakes we made that year.
Before you bring home the new tree, consider this
- Buy local and be prepared to transport the tree (Hint: it will not fit into a trunk!)
- Buy smaller, it will be easier to manage and the roots will add height
- Make a schedule. A live tree will need to be transitioned from outdoors
- Prepare a proper container beforehand, the rootball will be heavy and wet
- Have a plan for moving the tree to the spot where you will display it. We used a wheeled cart but you may need to borrow a dolly
- Check the tree for wildlife before bringing it into your home
Once the tree is inside, do this
- Cover the floor/carpet to guard against stains from water run-off
- Use bright festive fabric or a tree collar to cover the root ball or pot
- Spray the tree limbs with water to keep them fresh while indoors
- Use cool LED lights to prevent the tree from drying out. Ideally room temp should be 65 degrees F
- Enjoy the minimal needle-drop, a live tree will shed much less than a cut tree
- Prepare the spot in your yard to plant the tree after the holidays
- Add reminders to your calendar to check that your tree has enough water. A dormant tree still requires adequate water to establish new roots
Now that you have the main idea, read on for important details
There are so many good reasons for you to get a live tree for the hoIidays. Even as the quality of artificial trees has continued to improve, there is no comparison to the refreshing scent of pine in your home. It is a welcome mood-lift when the last few dark days of the year arrive.
Save the Trees
Increasingly aware of the threat of de-forestation and its effects on the planet, you may have wrestled with guilt of cutting short the life of an evergreen tree for the fleeting pleasure of a few weeks of holiday cheer.
Shake off the guilt by decorating with a live tree this year instead of fresh cut. Even though live fresh-cut trees are farmed, the idea of adding more trees to a corner of the world is a small comfort during a time of deforestation and global climate crisis.
And as an added bonus, the dollars spent on a balled-and burlapped tree go further. The tree will be both the centerpiece of holiday decorations, and also a permanent part of your landscape as well.
When we moved to our new home, I had envisioned a row of beautiful evergreen firs at the back of the property to screen our yard from the neighbor. The live Christmas tree was to be the first one planted. As I mentioned, we did not know what we were doing at all! When I researched where to buy a tree, I realized we would need to travel to a tree farm, which of course would be more than 45 minutes away.
Plan Ahead and Buy Early
It was already 8 days before Christmas, which for a cut tree would be the ideal time to buy. The first few tree nurseries I contacted were sold out! I was disappointed but undeterred. Eventually we found a farm with several 5 – 6 foot trees still available. We paid a bit over budget, but that was because it was late in the season. ( Note to self: next year begin the process several weeks earlier. )
At least we had enough foresight to have brought a trailer. Transporting a large tree is messy and difficult to fit even with a large SUV. A live balled tree above 6 feet will need to be transported in a truck bed or trailer because the root ball is very heavy.
Some farms will deliver a tree to your house for a fee. Then again, you can also choose to buy a smaller tree. When determining the size tree you want, figure that the root ball will add 10-14 inches to the overall tree height.
Transition the Tree
Because you are dealing with a live plant, it is sensitive to the temperature. Your tree needs to be gradually transitioned from the cooler outdoor temps to its indoor location. Before bringing it fully indoors, we left ours on a covered porch for several days. An unheated garage will work just as well.
A live tree is in its dormant state for the winter and introducing it to warmer temps can fool your tree into thinking prematurely it is springtime. This can prevent you from successfully transplanting it outside .
Small yellow needles, like those in the picture, are a red flag that your tree has come out of dormancy. You may choose to keep the tree indoors for no more than one week, or lower the temperature in the room and keep the tree indoors a few days longer.
To save the tree, we chose to lower the thermostat and use the fireplace. It was cooler, and the fire definitely leveled-up the holiday ambience!
Display the Tree
Make certain that the location you have envisioned for the tree to be set up in your house can handle the weight, which can be 100 pounds or more.
You should also consider laying plastic beneath the container because it may not be water-tight. This will prevent muddy stains to floors and carpeting.
You will need a water-tight container that can accommodate the root ball plus water, which is essential to keep the tree alive. We wrapped the root ball in plastic and then covered it with a large remnant of red polyester from the fabric store.
Check the tree for wildlife, you can be bringing it into your home! Birds, mice and chipmunks and also assorted insects may be your unexpected holiday guests.
Have a plan for moving the tree to the spot where you will display it. This is when the cursing by my husband began! Our house has a number of steps at both the front and back doors. My husband and 13 year old son used a dolly, sheets of wood and a wheeled platform to transport the heav, balled tree inside the house and into the living room.
Plant the Tree
Pre-select the spot in your yard for planting the tree after the holiday. Since we had made the decision only a week and a half before Christmas, we failed miserably here.
We ended up creating a berm using topsoil from other parts of the yard. This solved the problem of having to dig the hole in frozen ground. Add mulch to shelter the roots at the top of the rootball after pulling back the burlap. It is fine to leave the rest of the fabric on the roots and bury it under the soil.
Keep in mind that even while dormant, the tree needs adequate water. There can be spells of dry weather even in the winter. Put a reminder on your calendar to check for dryness and water as needed. As spring approaches, watch for the telltale signs of new growth. And, congratulate yourself for a job well-done!