Planting a Living 'Mini' Christmas Tree-- When?

16 years ago

We've purchased a small (about 15"), nursery grown Dwarf Alberta Spruce that we want to plant out in the yard after the hoildays. Everything I've read says the tree can only be indoors for 7-10 days. Its on the porch now until Christmas week. The question is when and how to plant it... The tag on the little tree says in "Norther climates" to leave it in the pot and place it somewhere sheltered outside protected by bags of leaves to allow it to have a "period of dormancy" until Spring then plant in the ground. Other things I've read on the web say to prepare a hole now while the ground can still be dug and insulate the hole until after the holiday and then plant it right after. Which method is right?

Thanks, Elleni

[x-posted to a couple of forums]

Here is a link that might be useful: Product info for our tree

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Comments (3)

leftwood
16 years ago
Sorry, but in MN there is no actually planting of Christmas evergreens in the ground outside, no matter what you do. If you use a birch tree or something else that has no leaves, you might get away with it.

Insulating with filled leaf bags will probably work, or putting it in a large box filled with insulating material, closed up in an unheated garage should be even better.

People in southern Illinois think they are in a northern climate, but I don't think even they would get away with planting outside after Christmas.
elleni
Original Author
16 years ago
I think I'll try that, leftwood. It can't hurt. Coincidentally, in this week's Bachman's Newsletter there was this:
Ask the Expert:

Is This The Year For a Living Christmas Tree?

Many Minnesotans want a living Christmas tree that can be planted outdoors after the holidays (a very popular tradition in the south and west). Unfortunately, our climate is not conducive to such a tradition. There is one exception, if you're open to keeping the tree indoors. Commonly called "living Christmas trees", Norfolk Island Pine trees are the only evergreen conifers that will grow happily indoors. They are actually tropical plants and native to islands in the South Pacific. These beauties are prized for their soft, airy foliage and the unique layered branching. Norfolk Island Pine can be easily decorated with lightweight ornaments and Christmas lights (we recommend using the LED lights because of their lower energy usage and heat output). Whenever possible, keep your Norfolk Island Pine in a cool location (50-60Âº). They like bright light and, in winter, can tolerate direct sun. They like to be kept slightly damp.
That goes against what Bobby and Belinda said on KARE11 News recently. They said you can have a (real) live Christmas tree here. I think it was their spot that said you could prepare a hole before the ground freezes.
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leftwood
16 years ago
If you were going to try, then yes, you would need to prepare the hole. If you could protect it all winter, like keeping a box over it, with some holes so it doesn't overheat or buildup too much humidity, there would be a possibility of survival. Still, it would be very stressful for the tree, if it did survive. Growth the following year, I would guess, would be unsatisfactory.