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Tips to keep your LIVE Christmas Tree happy & healthy:
1. Keep your live (balled in burlap, not cut) Christmas tree in the
house for as short a time as possible. They really don't like being
indoors.
2. Put the root ball in a tub of water and check the water often.
The tub should not be too full, the roots do need oxygen and too much water will
suffocate your tree. A few inches in the bottom of the tub should be fine,
but when you add water, pour it slowly over the root ball so the top of the root
ball also gets wet.
3. As soon as you un decorate the tree, get it outside. Not in your
garage, but out in the weather. Your garage is too dry. Ideally, as
soon as you move it outside you should plant it. Dig the hole the day you
bring the tree home, then as soon as you move it outside you can place the tree
in the hole. Even if the ground is frozen like a rock, put the tree in the
hole. It will be happier with it's root ball in an open hole rather than
setting on top of the ground where the cold winter wind will freeze dry the
roots.
4. Don't plant the tree too deeply. The top of the root ball should
be about two inches above the soil line, then covered with about 2" of
soil.
5. If you have clay soil, back fill around the tree with clay soil.
Using anything lighter and fluffier will just allow too much water to seep in
and saturate the root ball. Plants need moisture just like you and I, but
they do not like wet feet.
6. If your tree shows signs of stress there are likely two reasons.
The tree was either in the house too long, or was allowed to dry out at some
point. The second reason would be too much water around the roots after
planting it.
7. If it's too wet, elevate the tree out of the water. If you think
it was too dry for too long just make sure it has enough, but not too much
moisture and give it plenty of time to recover. ( 3 to 4 months)
8.. Don't fertilize the tree. Not now, not in the spring.
Fertilizer often does more damage than good.
That's it! Enjoy your Christmas tree.
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