You want to plant your Christmas tree outdoors after the holidays. Cathy Isom has some very helpful hints on how to choose and care for a living Christmas tree. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
If you want to have a live Christmas tree indoors during the holidays that you can move outside when you’re done, you need to learn how to keep it happy. Taking proper care of your holiday tree will ensure that it will survive being in the house and later moved to a good location outside.
Decide beforehand what type of tree you want to get and research evergreens that grow in your area. The National Christmas Tree Association has several recommendations for live Christmas trees. Some good options are: White Pine, White Spruce, Fraser Fir, Colorado Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir, Scotch Pine, and Arizona Cyprus.
To get a healthy tree that is perfect for your growing area, buy from a local tree farm. Look for a healthy green tree without brown or gray needles and one that’s been placed in a shady cool location. Run a few of the branches gently through your hands. If you have needles in your hands, the tree is already too dry.
Once inside the house, place your tree in a cool area that’s away from heat sources. This includes decorations, such as lights that you’ll hang on the tree. Consider using LED lights because they’ll stay cool and won’t dry out the tree. Carefully monitor the tree’s water level.
Don’t let your tree become too dry or too wet. You may also want to put some moss around the base of your tree. Reindeer moss looks festive and it helps keep the moisture level of your plant’s soil stable.
Space ornaments so that you don’t have too many on one branch. You don’t want the branches to bend or get broken.
I’m Cathy Isom…