Over the last several years, the popularity of live or living Christmas trees has been on the rise. But many of these trees don’t survive the holiday season. Knowing how to choose, plant, and care for a live Christmas tree will make for a happier holiday, and a valuable addition to your landscape.
There are many options for “living” Christmas trees that make great additions to your landscape after the holidays
When purchasing your live tree, be sure to pick a variety that will grow well in your area. Consider the mature height and width of the tree and know where you will plant it in your landscape.
The most common tree species used for living Christmas trees include Spruce, Pines and Firs, although many garden centers market any cone-shaped tree as an option for Christmas. Although these may not be considered “traditional” choices, they may be the best option for your area.
Before you bring the tree home, make sure you’re buying healthy stock. Many trees sold for Christmas, could be leftovers from earlier seasons, or could be in poor shape.
Check the tree for good color and needle retention, soft flexible branching, and a root system, if you can see it, that isn’t “bound” by its container. The root area should be moist, and not overly dry from lack of water. Also, look you tree over for any signs of disease or pest damage.
Once your tree makes it home, it needs to stay outside, in a protected area, until a few days before Christmas.
Water the tree immediately and make sure the soil is kept moist, but not wet. It also needs to be sheltered from high winds and full sun. The objective for this time is to acclimate your tree to warmer temperatures over a period of three to four days. Moving the tree onto a covered porch or garage during the interim is a good transitional place.
Many people choose to spray their live tree with an anti-desiccant or anti-wilt product. These products will help retain valuable moisture in the tree, and reduce needle loss, once the tree is moved indoors. If you choose this option, do so before the tree is moved inside, and while it is acclimating to the warmer temperatures. These products are sold under several names, including Wilt Pruf and Cloud Cover.
Avoid the temptation to bring your tree indoors too early. In fact, the less time indoors the better.
One or two days before Christmas is best, but no more than a week! Your home is an inhospitable environment for a living tree. Climate controlled homes are warm and dry. Don’t place your tree near heat vents, radiators, stoves, or anywhere else where heat can dry out your tree, and stimulate new growth. Be sure to keep an eye on the soil and keep it moist. If the root ball is wrapped in burlap, place it in a large tub, and add mulch up to the top of the burlap to help retain moisture.
After Christmas, move your tree back outdoors as soon as possible. However, don’t immediately plant it. The tree will need to readjust to the outdoors in a protected area for several days. Again, avoid direct sun, high winds, and warm areas when storing your tree. Be sure to maintain soil moisture. In a week or 10 days, move your tree into the planting hole in your landscape.
A good idea is to have already prepared the planting site. This is especially important in areas of the country where the ground may already be frozen. Plant this tree as you would any other, following sound planting practices. The hole should be at least twice as wide as the root ball, but no deeper.
Planting your tree slightly higher than the surrounding soil will help with drainage. It is not advisable to amend your planting hole with organic matter. Rather, backfill with the original soil.
Finally, be sure to water and mulch your tree to retain moisture. Continue to monitor soil moisture. Winter conditions can be very dry, and your plants and trees need water now as well, especially newly planted ones. The proper care and planning, before and after the holidays, will help ensure your tree survives for years to come.
About Joe Lamp'l
Joe Lamp'l is the Host and Executive Producer of the award winning PBS television series Growing A Greener World. Off camera, Joe dedicates his time to promoting sustainability through his popular books, blog, podcast series, and nationally syndicated newspaper columns. Follow Joe on Twitter
Really well done article. I really enjoyed this article. what time of year do you think I should safely plant my tree this year so it doesn’t get damaged during the winter time in the midwest.
Fall is the best time to plant trees. My standard guidelines are to plant it slightly high (never deeper than surrounding grade), backfill with only native soil (no need to amend), cover with a 2-inch layer of mulch at least out to the drip line, and install a soaker hose around the base of the tree so that it’s long enough to at least soak the root ball / area and preferably beyond (ideally out to the drip line). I put my soaker hose on an automatic timer so that trees are getting consistent water through fall and as long as it takes to establishment. That can take many months. But, this method will allow that to happen much faster. Just do water so much that the roots don’t have a chance to dry out between waterings. That’s just as important!
Living in western Iowa, we want a living history in our Grove of our grand kids Christmas. We also want these trees to become our wind break and snow catch for many years.
What trees would you recommend and do you like for Christmas indoors?
I live in Olympia, Washington, and bought a living Noble Fir for a Christmas tree for the first time. It seems to be doing fine after moving it outside after Christmas. Is it possible to keep it planted in the pot it came in, and use it again next Christmas?
You ‘could’ Allen. That’s the short answer. If you do, you’ll have to deal with roots that escape out the drainage holes and the remaining holes will become very pot-bound. That’s not great on the tree but not irreversible after another season. You might also want to transfer it to a slightly larger pot if practical. Lastly, minimize the time you leave it inside next season. Write back this time next year and let us know how it goes.
Hi,
Thank you so much for your helpful site!
Is there any possibility of leaving my tree at home until April, and planting it then? I live in NYC and was planning to plant it in my parents’ house in Maryland the Spring. Unfortunately my plant has already been in my apartment for 3 weeks. Is it better to plant it in the spring, or plant it now, even though the tree has probably “awoken” due to the warm apartment temperature?
It’s best to plant it now vs. keeping it in a pot indoors. The longer it has to acclimate before the heat of summer hits, the better chance it has of establishing and building its root system.
I want to plant a living Christmas tree outside as permanent landscape. I live in Silver Spring , MD, what type will work best in my region and is it OK to plant now? If not when is the optimum time to plant?
Hi Gina. Since I live in the Atlanta area, I don’t know all the appropriate options for you in MD for a living Christmas tree. But, please consult with a reputable independent garden center in your area. They should be able to give you a good list. You may also try your local county extension service. They are typically staffed with volunteer Master Gardeners during the week manning the phones to take your questions. They are pretty passionate folks, happy to help and have time to research you questions for you also. Or because they are local, they may likely know right off the top of their heads.
As for when to plant, the typical scenario is to keep it in the container outside until a few days before Christmas. Then bring it in through Christmas and back out to plant right after that. As long as the ground isn’t frozen and you can dig a hole, it’s a good time to plant the tree. Good luck!
Good luck.
I WAS THINKING ABOUT A LIVING CHRISTMAS TREE THIS YEAR. I LIVE IN PA AND WINTERS GET VERY COLD AT TIMES. WHAT ABOUT LIVING TREE IN THIS AREA ? I REALLY ENJOY YOUR WEBSITE. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP
Hi Ron. You have plenty of options in PA for a living Christmas tree. Basically you’d be buying a tree just like the cut versions. Some of the best living Christmas trees are evergreens that thrive in colder climates such as yours. Good luck and thanks for the kind words.
Can u help me? I bought a living Xmas tree (15cms high) in Dec 2011. I planted it out in the garden in April 2012. It is now 71cm. In April I had good growth buds and the tree looked really healthy. This week has seen all the inner needles turn brown and fall off. The outside is still green, but I think it is dying. Is there anything I can do to prevent its demise?
I won’t be able to know what has caused this problem without more information. It could be a light issue, or weather related, too much or too little water. If it’s a pest problem I wouldn’t know without being there. Do you have a place that can examine your tree? If you took an affected branch to either a garden center or university for closer review? Consider the possible issues I’ve mentioned above. The only ones you can really deal with is the water. It could be reacting to saturated soil, or lack of water. Although the conditions are opposite, the tree can exhibit the same symptoms.