Choosing a live potted Christmas tree is a wonderful, sustainable decision that brings the fresh scent of the forest into your home. Unlike their cut counterparts, a potted tree can be replanted or kept for future seasons, but they require a little extra care to ensure their survival, especially during their time indoors.
Here is your essential guide to keeping your living Christmas tree happy and healthy through the holidays and beyond.
Preparation: Before the Tree Comes Inside
The transition from the cold outdoors to the warm, dry indoor environment can be a shock to an evergreen tree. To minimize stress, you need to acclimate it slowly.
- Select the Right Specimen: Choose a species that is native to or well-suited for your local climate. Popular choices include Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, or certain types of Pine. Ensure the root ball is intact and the pot is large enough to sustain the tree for the duration of the season.
- Gradual Acclimation (The Transition Zone): A week before bringing the tree into your main living space, place it in a cool, sheltered area like a garage, unheated porch, or shed. This allows the tree to adjust to the warmer temperature without drying out too quickly.
- Water Thoroughly: Before the move indoors, water the tree deeply. A well-hydrated tree is more resilient.
Indoor Care: A Brief Holiday Visit
The primary goal during the tree's time indoors is to keep it cool and moist, minimizing its exposure to heat and desiccation.
Optimal Placement
- Avoid Heat Sources: Place your tree as far away as possible from fireplaces, heat vents, radiators, and even direct, intense sunlight from a window. Heat is the enemy of a live potted tree indoors.
- Keep it Cool: Aim to keep the tree in the coolest part of the room. If possible, a room temperature below 65°F (18°C) is ideal, especially at night.
Watering and Humidity
- Consistent Moisture: A potted tree will dry out much faster indoors than outdoors. Check the soil daily. When the top inch of soil feels dry, water it thoroughly until water drains from the bottom. Do not let the pot sit in a saucer full of water, as this can lead to root rot.
- Boost Humidity: Dry indoor air is harsh on evergreens. Use a humidifier near the tree, or regularly mist the needles with water. Placing the pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water (ensuring the pot doesn't sit directly in the water) can also help create a humid microclimate.
The Critical Timeline: How Long to Stay Inside
This is the most crucial factor for a live tree's survival. Evergreen trees need a period of cold dormancy (chilling hours) to survive. When you bring them inside, the warmth essentially tells them to wake up from dormancy. If they "wake up" and are then abruptly returned to freezing conditions, it can cause severe damage or death.
Key Rule: Do not keep your live tree indoors for more than 7–10 days.
- Under 7 Days: Ideal. This brief visit minimizes the risk of the tree fully breaking dormancy.
- 7–10 Days: Acceptable, but push it no longer.
- Over 10 Days: The risk of the tree breaking dormancy, drying out, and failing to re-establish outside increases significantly. If you want a tree indoors for a longer period, consider rotating two potted trees, keeping one outside for recovery while the other is inside.
Reacclimation and Post-Holiday Care
The process of moving the tree back outside is just as important as the initial move indoors.
- Gradual Reacclimation: After the holidays, move the tree back to your transition zone (garage, shed, or covered porch) for another 7–10 days. This reverses the process, allowing the tree to gradually adjust to the dropping temperatures without immediate exposure to harsh winter elements.
- Outdoor Placement: Once fully reacclimated, the tree needs protection for the rest of the winter.
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- Keep it Potted: If you plan to keep it potted, bury the pot in the ground, surround it with mulch, or place it in a protected area to insulate the roots from extreme cold. Potted roots are much more vulnerable to freezing than roots in the ground.
- Keep Watering: Even when dormant, the roots still need moisture, especially on sunny or windy winter days. Check the soil occasionally and water if it is very dry.
3. Planting (Optional): Once the ground thaws in early spring, you can plant your tree in a permanent location. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Ensure the tree gets plenty of water during its first year to help the roots establish.
Caring for a live potted Christmas tree requires planning and adherence to the 7–10 day indoor rule, but the reward is a beautiful, sustainable centrepiece for your holiday season and a growing reminder of the memories made for years to come.
Looking for a Live Potted Christmas Tree? We're open 7 days a week, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and have a large selection to choose from, along with many other festive items. So come check us out!
