▷ Alive Christmas tree: how to maintain it until transplanting

It’s great if the Christmas tree survives after the holidays. Might be worth a try, huh? Read how to take care of your Christmas tree so that it survives healthy and what to do to make it grow well once transplanted.

Choose a Christmas tree without leaving home and receive it directly to your home! Discover the assortment of Lithuanian nurseries on Emedelynas.lt

The Christmas tree is falling apart: why and what to do?

If the Christmas tree sheds its needles profusely, this is a clear sign that it doesn’t like something. The reasons are usually the following:

The Christmas tree lacks moisture, so combat this problem by eliminating the needles, which evaporate the last remaining moisture. So if the needles fall it means that the Christmas tree is suffering and we need to hurry to replenish its water reserves;
The Christmas tree was improperly and irresponsibly cut down and simply placed in a pot with soil. In this case, the tree was severely damaged before arriving at your home.

Christmas Tree If the tree is healthy, its roots are intact and it receives sufficient moisture, the needles are green and shiny. photo L. Liubertaitė

How to water a Christmas tree correctly

In winter the trees rest and get used to the low outside temperature. So in our house, where the temperature is usually around 20-23 C° and is very dry, the Christmas tree alone doesn’t feel very good. Here’s how to water a potted Christmas tree so it doesn’t run out of moisture:

Water the soil where the Christmas tree is planted. Room temperature, slightly still water is best;
Spray the tree needles with water every day. Use plain water at room temperature and a clean container with a sprayer.

Christmas tree in the room or outdoors: what is the best place to place it?

If you place the Christmas tree in a room, choose a place away from heat sources:

Radiator;
Heater;
Fireplace – the heat it creates is not only too strong for the Christmas tree, but being very close to an open fire, it can catch fire unexpectedly;
Heated floors – directly heat the roots of the Christmas tree from below and severely damage it, so be sure to raise the Christmas tree higher (on a table, furniture, etc.).

If you have a terrace with living room windows, place and decorate the tree there. It is just the perfect solution, because you can see the Christmas tree perfectly through the window and it will not take up extra space in the room. Furthermore, the tree will not suffer temperature changes and Santa Claus will not have to worry about climbing into the chimney to leave gifts under the tree.

What you need to know if you intend to transplant a Christmas tree

If you are buying a tree with the idea of replanting it after the holidays I recommend a couple of important things:

Buy it in a nursery, not in a supermarket or in a lot. When you buy from a nursery, you’ll know exactly what type of spruce you’re buying and can choose the variety that’s best for you. Furthermore, you will have the certainty that the seedling has been properly cultivated and cared for, so it can certainly be transplanted and expected to grow;

How to transplant correctly?

As the climate has warmed in recent years, winters are becoming milder and warmer. This also changes the process and rules for transplanting Christmas trees. So I offer two options for transplanting: for cold and warm winter.

If the winter is cold, the transplanting procedure is traditional:

After the holidays we move the tree to a cool place (balcony, terrace, garage) to stop its vegetation;
We water as needed and keep it sheltered until spring, when the frost has completely abandoned the ground and it is really quite warm;
We transplant in spring.

If it remains around 0°C and above in winter and frost has not formed, the Christmas tree can be transplanted much more quickly, but it is necessary to let it settle back into the external environment, therefore:

Take the tree outside for longer periods of time each day. For example, leave it out for an hour on the first day, two hours on the second day, up to half an hour on the third day, etc. This hardening of the Christmas tree really makes sense because it adapts better, so the probability of a successful transplant is greater;
After about 2 weeks of adaptation, the tree can be transplanted. Water well beforehand. You can cover the roots with mulch to make the tree more comfortable. Of course, if it suddenly gets cold, you will have to change your transplant plans and wait for spring.

Sometimes people are in a hurry and, without waiting for anything, plant the tree immediately after the holidays. Such an option is possible, but success in getting a Christmas tree becomes a real lottery. Only small, very well-kept Christmas trees may be tempted to be transplanted in this way.

Truly I don’t recommend it Transplant immediately if you already see exploding shoots (light green shoots) on the tree. In this case it is necessary to stop the growth of the Christmas tree by moving it to a cool place and wait for spring. After all, after a while you really don’t want to see a broken, browned and sad Christmas tree, especially if you planted it in a representative place in your garden. In other words, if we have already decided to transplant, let’s dedicate attention and time to it.

How to ensure that a transplanted Christmas tree grows?

If you have purchased a quality sapling, taken care of the tree throughout the holiday period and planted it correctly, your work is done and all that remains is to trust the tree itself and its strength. No one can guarantee that the transplant will be successful, even if you did everything right. On the other hand, you can do this extra thing to make placing the Christmas tree in its new location even easier:

Use compost, because immediately after planting the tree needs more nutrients;
In the first and second year, don’t forget to water the tree;
In spring watering with special means with probiotics, which can facilitate the growth of the Christmas tree.

Place in the yard: what is the best place to plant a Christmas tree?

A Christmas tree, even if it is still very small, is still a tree that will grow very tall and wide in the long run. Depending on the type and variety of the spruce it can reach 30-40 m in height! Therefore, when choosing a place on the plot, it is necessary to comply with all requirements for planting trees, maintain appropriate distances from the house, fence, etc.

When choosing a place on the plot, consider:

Where communications or pipes (electrical, water, etc.) are laid, so that the Christmas tree is not planted on top of them and in the long run the roots do not begin to block them, causing danger;
Where the tree has grown, we shade it so as not to create unwanted shade for other plants growing on the ground or for the neighbor’s yard.

Before planting a spruce or any other plant in your land, you need to think not only about that particular plant, but about the overall design of the land. If you are looking for specific ideas and solutions, visit our “My Garden Design” course, where together we will find the best design solutions for your garden. More information about the courses read here.

Do you need to shape the Christmas tree?

Spruce trees usually naturally have a nice cone shape, so if there is no special purpose, there is no need to shape them. But if some naughty branches seem out of place, or there are signs of disease, or maybe you want to make a spruce hedge, you can safely shape the spruce, like any other tree.