Can You Replant Christmas Trees?
Thinking of the Christmas season brings about feelings of celebration with family, smells of peppermint and pine and memories of everyone gathering around to decorate the Christmas tree. When the anticipated day has passed, and the cleanup begins, however, that beautiful tree often becomes so much rubbish left on the curb to be hauled off to the landfill. Isn't there a better way to enjoy a Christmas tree that doesn't involve killing it? The answer may be as close as your local tree nursery. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Christmas tree with roots and earth ball wrapped in burlap
- Large pot
- Spade shovel
- Biodegradable insulation
Instructions
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The first thing to do when choosing a live Christmas tree is to plan exactly when the tree will be planted in your yard. When you purchase a living tree, it will need to spread its roots into its new home's soil within 7-10 days of being uprooted, so you'll want to bring it home no more than a week before planting day. Bringing the family out to commemorate a new tree can quickly become a family tradition, so plan the tree planting during a time when everyone can enjoy the experience.
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If the soil in your area is prone to early freezes, consider digging the hole for the tree in advance and then filling it with a biodegradable insulation such as peat moss or straw. The insulation will help keep the soil somewhat malleable for adapting to your new tree.
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Choose a tree that looks healthy, has all of its needles still attached and branches that are supple and yielding. Any discoloration is a sign that the tree is already dying or diseased, and the tree's bark should be completely in tact and evenly textured as well. Be sure to ask the tree specialist at your nursery when the tree was uprooted and if it needs any special considerations for lasting through the holiday.
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When bringing the tree into your home, the sudden temperature change from the wintry outside air can severely affect your tree's health. To avoid this, place the tree in a cool but unexposed portion of the house for a day before bringing it in to the warm inside air. A garage or shed can work well as a transitional room as long as the tree isn't exposed to any harmful chemicals and is placed in an upright position.
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Bring the tree into the house and place the earth ball in a large pot that will hold water. Do not place the tree near any heat sources or air vents because this will quickly dry out and kill the tree. Pack some straw or peat moss around the earth ball in the pot to help keep the tree upright, and remember to water the top of the earth ball about twice a day. The increased heat from your house will cause the tree to use a great deal more water than is usual for this time of year, so keep the earth around the roots moist throughout the tree's stay.
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After Christmas has come and gone, bring the tree back out into your garage or shed for another transitional period of about one day. When the transitional period has passed, take the tree to the prepared planting area and place it in the hole so that the top of the earth ball is just under the surface of the hole after it is buried. Remove the burlap from around the tree's roots and pack moistened dirt around the earth ball until the tree is standing on its own. Now, fill the hole in completely with moistened earth and lightly tamp the surface dirt down to help protect the roots from exposure to the freezing elements.
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After the tree has been planted, trim the existing branches back as much as possible while retaining some of the needle-covered portions of the limbs. By reducing the length of its branches, you will be helping the tree to sustain itself with its reduced root structure until it can spread its roots again when the outside temperature warms. The tree will remain dormant through the winter, so be sure that it remains firmly in place throughout the cold season until it adapts to its new home.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid putting too many lights or other sources of heat on the living tree's branches because this will cause the tree to quickly dry out and begin losing needles. Although the heat from a string of lights is not intense, it is enough to kill parts of the tree and cause it to quickly become dehydrated and brittle.
