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Doctor Bob's Northern Gardening Tips: Got a live one? Keep it that way
December 10, 2002 -- with Robert Gough, PhD, Montana State University Extension Horticulture Specialist
If you have purchased living Christmas trees in past years, you may have discovered that planting them outdoors after the holidays is a bit tricky. To improve your tree’s chance of survival, make some preparations ahead of time.
Dig a planting hole larger than the tree’s root ball before the soil freezes. Cover it (and the soil you took out of it) with at least six inches of leaves, then cover both with plastic to keep moisture out.
Keep your living tree in the house no more than a week. If you leave it indoors longer, it might dry out or begin growing. If either happens, it won’t last long when planted outside. Don’t let your tree sit around on the back porch after Christmas, either. Its roots are very sensitive to cold and can die in temperatures below about 15 degrees F.
Plant your tree as soon as you can after Christmas, water it in very well and pile some leaf mulch over the planting area. The mulch will help keep the tree’s unestablished root system from being heaved out of the soil during freezes and thaws throughout the winter.
Drive four sturdy stakes into the ground around the plant and wrap plastic around them to create a four-sided enclosure. This will help block dry winter winds and decrease desiccation. Be sure the plastic doesn’t cover the tree or touch its sides.
Don’t put fertilizer into the planting hole. Be sure not to plant a little tree that will become a big tree too close to the house.
Want to know more about tree care? Contact your local MSU Extension office or visit MSU Extension’s online catalog at http://www.montana.edu/publications.
You can also search Dr. Bob’s website at http://gardenguide.montana.edu.
Contact: Robert Gough (for additional information about horticulture topics), (406) 994-6523.
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