Which Christmas Tree Option is Best for Your Family?

The best strategy for keeping your living Christmas tree alive and well is to keep it cool and well-watered and to limit the amount of time it spends indoors. It is a little more work than a pre-cut tree, but the benefits will last for years to come. Here's how to help ensure your Christmas tree will be around next year.

Visit the nursery early to tag your tree and we will hold it for you until the end of our Christmas event. We won't be bringing in new stock this late in the season, so visit early for the best selection. Please check the website for hours as our seasonal hours vary between September and December.

Two weeks before Christmas, put the tree in a garage for about a week to allow for acclimation to an indoor environment. Keep it watered, but don't overdo it. Consider how to allow for the tree to be watered without getting water/soil on your floor. Depending on the size of the pot or ball, you might consider anything from a bar pan to a tiny kiddie swimming pool. Ask us for help if you are unsure what to do.

A few days before Christmas, move the tree to a spot with filtered light, but well away from drafts and heater vents; a cool location is best. Be sure it gets all the water it needs. Soak the root ball so that the soil around the roots is moist, but you don't want roots drowning, either. If you have placed a root ball in a tub, keep an inch or two of water in the bottom of the tub.

Christmas lights don't pose a serious threat to plants. Depending on the types of lights and how you use them, however, they can cause some minor damage. Large bulbs can create enough heat to actually burn leaf surfaces, so use only light strands that come with tiny bulbs.  LED lights are best as they won't give off heat that could further dry out your tree.

A few days after Christmas, put the tree back in the garage. No matter what, don't leave the tree inside the house for more than a week to 10 days. 

Since we live in a very cold climate, you will need to leave the tree in your garage over the remainder of the winter.  Make sure potted trees are in pots large enough to provide some insulation from the cold, and keep them watered well and away from direct sunlight. Once the ground has thawed, dig a hole 2-3x larger than the root ball and about 1.5x deeper. Gently spread out some of the roots and place the tree in the hold. Blend a bag of Happy Frog Soil Conditioner in with the original soil and tamp down soil to prevent air bubbles by the roots. Topdress with mulch to help hold in moisture, and set up a regular watering schedule in your planner for the entire first year all the way through the first hard frost in November. Evergreens need regular, deep waterings that first year, and especially headed into winter.