If you are in the market for a beautiful evergreen to be added to your landscape, Christmas is a perfect time to begin shopping. While most Christmas shoppers purchase a Christmas tree that has already been chopped at the bottom, there are several nurseries that offer live Christmas trees with the roots still intact.
This means you can fill a space in your landscape with the Christmas tree that you enjoyed all season long. This is also a great way to recycle your Christmas tree instead of simply throwing away one of natures precious resources.
The most important factor in finding a Christmas tree to replant is to find a tree that will transplant well after the holidays. Of course, the success of replanting a Christmas tree truly lies in the hands of the nursery where you receive the evergreen tree, as it is essential that they take extreme care of the roots by immediately placing them in burlap once the Christmas tree is removed from the ground.
A good nursery will also point you in the direction of a healthy Christmas tree and will point out which evergreens do best in replant situations. Most nurseries will suggest a pine, spruce or fir, all hardy varieties of the evergreen.
Keep in mind that when you are purchasing a replant Christmas tree, it will be more expensive than a tree that you will purchase just for the holiday season. While trees can cost anywhere from $30-$100 to purchase already chopped, a tree with roots intact may cost between $50-$200.
Although you might want to save money, it really is better to spend a little extra money and get a healthy, sturdy tree with long branches and a large root ball so that you will have transplant success.
Another important piece of advice regarding the replanting of your Christmas tree is to give the tree a 3-4 day transitional period in between the outdoors and indoors. This goes for both bringing the Christmas tree home as well as returning it to the outdoors. Otherwise your tree may suffer from shock because of the drastic difference in temperature.
It is essential whether the tree is indoors or outdoors to keep it covered with more than the burlap sack for moisture and protection. You may want to try straw, a blanket, saw dust, or even old towels or newspaper. Of course while the tree is inside the home, the roots and the covering can be hidden by a beautiful decorative tree skirt.
Whether the tree is inside or out, it will need to be watered regularly to prevent it from drying up or dying. This will most likely mean placing the root ball inside a large tub or bucket so that the roots can suck up the necessary nutrients. Again, this might be a tricky task while the tree is inside the home.
Horticulturists recommend that in order for your Christmas tree replanting to go well, do not leave the tree in the home for any longer than two weeks. If at all possible, try to limit the time the tree is inside to a week or slightly longer. Once your secondary transition period of 3-4 days is over, it is time to plant the tree in the ground.
As long as your climate zone does not experience freezing early in the winter season, you should have no problem planting the tree right after the Christmas holiday. If you think your climate zone may experience early freezing, then you may want to pre-dig the hole for your root ball, although this may mean guessing the size of the root ball.
Once you have replaced the soil, it is essential to water the tree and mulch it to keep in the warmth of your newly transplanted Christmas tree.