If you have the opportunity to plant your Christmas tree later, you should think about a Christmas tree in a pot. The variant has many advantages.
What would be the best time of the year without fir greenery and tinsel. A Christmas tree is simply part of it. It doesn't have to be the freshly felled spruce. This quickly offers a sad sight after the holidays. The Christmas tree in a pot is not easy to cultivate, but with the right care it has a good chance of living on after the festival and maybe even repeating its big appearance in the living room next year. Find out now what is important when you decide for a living Christmas tree.
Living Christmas trees versus throwaway culture
We live in a throwaway society. This becomes clear once again at Christmas. A normal Christmas tree can move in with us for a few days. When the lights go out, it's thrown away or literally thrown out the window, like in a Scandinavian furniture store ad.
Behind the trees lies a short and sad life. The trees are grown on the plantations for six to eight years, cut more frequently and often treated with pesticides. After falling victim to the chainsaw, the long and uncomfortable journey to the Christmas markets follows.
Potted Christmas trees have been on the market for several decades and offer an alternative to conventional Christmas trees. If you choose the little trees, you won't have to watch your Christmas tree die and you'll also be spared a carpet of pine needles in the living room. If you don't neglect the care, you will enjoy the little tree all year round.
However, transport and care are far more complex than is the case with a cut Christmas tree. In order to offer the roots enough space, the small tree is usually in large pots. That's why little trees bring a lot of weight with them in pots.
➔ Note: Living Christmas trees require year round maintenance and sometimes a larger planter.
Which tree is best?
Should the little tree continue after Christmasare cultivated, the chances for potted Nordmann firs are rather bad. Fir trees develop taproots. In order for the trees to fit into the relatively flat planters, the roots are often cut beforehand, which means that the tree has little chance of long-term survival.
Spruces, on the other hand, have shallow roots and are therefore clearly the better choice. The spruce can adapt much better to the conditions in the planter. If the soil is loose, the roots grow deeper, if the soil is heavy, more roots are formed in the upper layers of the soil.
How much does a Christmas tree in a pot cost?
The price depends on the size of the tree. The cheapest Christmas trees in pots are in hardware stores, where you can get smaller spruces for 15 to 20 euros. Blue spruce cost about twice as much. The same applies to the Nordmann firs, which, as already mentioned, are not suitable for cultivation in pots, but are nevertheless generally very popular.
What to look out for when buying?
The little tree should not only cut a good figure visually. Before you buy, you need to take a closer look. If the tree has grown well and fits into the room in terms of size, you should take a closer look at the pot. The pot must not be too small, otherwise the roots cannot spread sufficiently. Also take a closer look at the root ball. It will ultimately depend on its condition whether the tree really survives after the holidays. The roots should form a compact ball and not appear thin and brittle.
You will find little joy in trees that have been cut out and then planted. The price is probably a real bargain, but the lifespan is short. If the roots are injured when the tree is cut out, the plant is sentenced to death.
➔ Tip: Smaller trees are easier to transplant. Sizes between one meter and 1.20 meters are ideal.
Don't buy a potted Christmas tree too late
Don't wait until the last day before the festival to buy one. The shock for the tree, which is used to the cool December weather, would be too great. The tree should be given time to acclimatize before moving into the living room. Therefore, leave the tree in the garage or basement for a few days after purchase. The tree should not be forgotten there, because similar to the potted plants in the garden, the conifer needs regular water, since only a small amount of nutrients is available in the planter.
➔ Tip: Set thePlant pot in a sufficiently large flat saucer. Ensure that there are sufficient drainage holes in the floor.
The best place in the living room
Moving into the warm living room means pure stress for the little trees. A place near the heater until New Year would cause the tree to be uprooted from its hibernation and begin to sprout again. Therefore, choose a location that is as cool as possible and release the sapling back into the open after a few days. Care should not be neglected. Potted Christmas trees need watering at least every other day. It is important to ensure that the root ball does not dry out.
Watering the Christmas tree properly in the pot
Potted plants generally require more care than outdoor plants, which have sufficient substrate available and can also extend their roots into deeper soil layers.
Spuces in particular react sensitively to incorrect watering. This applies to soil that is too wet or soil that is too dry. It is advisable to check the substrate daily if possible. If the soil is slightly dry, the trees need water as soon as possible.
Water should be given at least every second day in the warm living room. Furthermore, the needles must be sprayed so that they do not dry out in the dry heating air.
➔ Tip: Outdoors, the plants are watered with tempered water.
By loading the video, you accept YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
Load video
Always Unblock YouTube
Does the potted Christmas tree need fertilizer?
Potted plants only have a small supply of nutrients. For conifers, it is a good idea to give a dose of fir or conifer fertilizer in the spring. If the sapling is placed outdoors after the festival, no additional fertilization is usually necessary.
And after the party?
When buying a Christmas tree in a pot, you should think about what will happen to it after the party. The location in the warm room means that the trees end their hibernation and the sap flow begins. Therefore, even after the holidays, the trees must first acclimatize before they can be placed outside.
The tree therefore moves to the bright basement or garage. The conservatory is also an ideal location. If there are severe frosts, the tree should be in a bright and frost-free location until springremain. Even during the winter months, the tree in the pot should be watered sufficiently.
How the Christmas tree survives outdoors in a pot
Although there is no 100% guarantee and many experts are generally skeptical about conifers in planters, the tree has a good chance of surviving outdoors.
However, it will be difficult for him to do this as a container plant. There are only chances of success if the tree is cultivated in a sufficiently large planter, a nutrient-rich and loose substrate is available and irrigation and fertilization are not neglected.
Alternatively, the trees can also be planted directly in the ground. This can happen after the last frosts, but it is a process that cannot be reversed.
➔ Warning: Christmas trees that are placed outdoors cannot be put back in the bucket.
If you plant your tree outdoors and think you can simply dig it up again before the next Christmas and put it back in the plant pot, your plan will fail. When digging up, the fine roots of the conifers are lost. The plants can no longer absorb enough moisture and die.
Put the Christmas tree outdoors
- Select Location
- Prepare the ground
- Dig planting hole
- Pot the plant carefully
- Insert plant in planting hole
- Fill up soil
- Tread the earth well
- Water the plant thoroughly
Once the right location for the tree has been found, the soil should be prepared accordingly. The substrate should be loose and well-drained. A loosening of the soil is essential so that the tree can root well and absorb sufficient liquid from the soil.
The planting hole should be at least twice the diameter of the root ball and dug deep enough. Be careful not to injure the sensitive roots when plugging. The root should not snap. Therefore loosen the edge of the planter and lift the root ball completely out of the planter.
The tree should not be placed deeper in the ground than it was originally in the planter. After planting, press down the soil well and water the tree sufficiently.
➔ Tip: Optimum watering can be ensured by creating a watering rim.
A layer of mulch protects the soil from frost andbe protected from drying out. After the tree has rooted, the nutrient supply should be ensured with a long-term fertilizer for conifers.