Why Not Plant A Living Christmas Tree This Season?

Why not decorate a Living Christmas Tree this Holiday Season? Buy a potted Pine or Spruce for your holiday tree this season and enjoy it's wonderful scent! Then after the holidays plant your tree permanently outside and enjoy it for years to come. It can be decorated outdoors each holiday season so you'll get seasonal enjoyment every year!

The Nursery has several Christmas tree varieties available including: Austrian Black Pines,

Bosnian Pine, Scotch Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce, and Black Hills Spruce.

Different container sizes are available also so there is probably one that will fit your space....

Care is simple! Basically keep your potted Christmas tree watered while in the drying home environment. After the Holidays remember to re-acclimate your tree to the cold outdoor temperatures before permanently planting. This is a requirement to help your trees survival outdoors because if the tree was inside for an extended time, like 2-3 weeks, it may come out of dormancy and resume growth.

Acclimation to the cold outside temperatures can be done several ways, for example, start with a few hours outside then back inside. Alternatively move it to a sheltered porch or garage that offers some protection from the cold first. Then after acclimation finally plant outside in its permanent location.

Planting Tip: Pine and Spruce trees do best in well-drained soils. They do not like heavy slow draining clay soils. After planting your tree and watering for the first time be sure to water that tree at least once every 3-4 weeks through the rest of winter to ensure the root system does not dry out.

Photos & Narrative By:

Stephen Sain
Staff Plant Physiologist

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