Live Christmas trees can be planted in the landscape to memorialize the holiday and family fun and joy.
©gpointstudio/istockphoto.com
The seasonal shopping season has begun, and if a Christmas tree is on your list, here are some things to keep in mind.
A live evergreen tree is sold in a container or as a balled-and-burlapped specimen. It is alive and attached to its roots. People like living Christmas trees because they can be transplanted to the landscape to memorialize the holiday.
If you plan to have a live tree, prepare the planting hole now before the ground freezes. Dig the hole and stow the soil in a wheelbarrow or tub in an unheated garage or other area where it will not freeze. To prevent people or pets from tripping or falling into the hole, fill it with bags of leaves or cover with a piece of wood.
Keep the tree outdoors until close to the holiday. Keep the container or balled-and-burlapped root ball moist. Move the live tree indoors and set in something that holds water. A plastic or metal tub works well for balled-and-burlapped, or a large saucer for a container tree. Only allow the tree to be indoors for a couple of days and move it outside. Do not let the root ball dry out.
When ready to plant, remove the tree from the container or burlap and cage. Transplant in the hole, making sure the root flare, or where the trunk becomes a root, is at the soil surface. Back fill with the stowed soil. Water the new planting. If the hose is already put away, carry room temperature water in 5-gallon buckets to drench the soil.
Cover the planting area with chopped leaves or shredded bark mulch. Don’t allow the mulch to touch the trunk. Apply about 10-15 gallons a week, until the ground freezes.
Cut tree
A Christmas tree cut at the farm, ready for you to take home and decorate. Cut trees also can be found at garden centers. (C) jatrax/istockphoto.com
Planted and grown as a crop, a cut tree is harvested from a farm. Farms have trees already cut or you can cut your own (indianachristmastree.com). Garden centers also have wide selections of cut trees. These are usually trucked in from Michigan or the Carolinas, where growing Christmas trees is a huge business.
Before putting it in its stand, cut another inch off the stump to ensure the tree will take up water. Keep the stand filled with water.
After the holiday, lash the tree to another tree or to a fence, where it can serve as a winter shelter for birds.
Here are more tips on selecting and enjoying your Christmas tree.