If you bought a tree with the roots intact then you can replant it and keep it for next Christmas. Many shops now offer trees in pots or burlap wraps which makes it easy to keep your tree for years to come.
How to…
- Once you’ve taken down the decorations, move the tree into a cold sheltered area for a week or two so that the tree can re-enter dormancy. A garage, shed or sheltered patio is an ideal location.
- Choose a dry day when there is no frost and dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball. Choose a spot for the tree that isn’t exposed to strong winds but is open to sunlight.
- Water the pot well to easily remove the pot and hydrate the roots. Remove burlap or any other coverings from the root ball.
- Plant the tree in the hole and fill with soil, the roots and trunk should be planted to the same depth as they were in the pot. Add a layer of mulch on top of the soil to keep the tree watered, don’t add any fertiliser until spring.
Next year…
Reusing your Christmas tree:
- If you want to bring your tree back indoors next year, plant it in a container rather than in the ground. The stress of repeatedly being dug up is stressful to the plant and it’s unlikely to survive. Keeping it in a large pot will be heavy to move, but will allow you to reuse it.
- If you’d prefer to plant it in the ground, choose a location that can be seen from the house so that you can decorate it outdoors and enjoy for many Christmases to come.
If you’re buying a new tree:
- Choose a container-grown tree, it will be more expensive than a tree grown in the ground and dug up – but it will be far more likely to survive being planted following Christmas.
- When bringing the tree indoors, wrap bare roots in sphagnum moss to help keep it moist or add a layer on top of the pot.
- Dig the hole for planting before the frost hits, this may mean digging the hole before putting up the Christmas decorations, but it will be far easier than digging frozen ground in January.
- After taking down the decorations, stand the tree in a cold sheltered location to make it enter dormancy. Acclimatising the tree from the heat of indoors to the cold of the garden will increase chances of success.
Are you planning on replanting your tree? Send us your pictures on Facebook!
