The Care of Live Christmas Trees

Last Updated on November 21, 2020 by Paul Guzman

The Care of Live Christmas Trees.  What exactly is a Live Christmas Tree?  Well, It is a live evergreen conifer tree that you can use to decorate for the Christmas season.  The root system is encased in a burlap sack and sometimes this balled up sack is reinforced with chicken wire.  The majority of these trees are evergreen pine trees.

Live Christmas Trees for Christmas Decoration

It’s important to note that these trees contain soil that is condensed and heavy.  You should always ask for help to move from area to area or use a good dolly to move around.  It is a lot easier to move if the tree comes inside a good container as shown below.

Types of Live Christmas Trees

Around the Southwest, they are usually Afghan pines or Piñon trees.  There are other types like Austrian, and Japanese pines but for the purpose of this article, we will stick to the Afghan and Pinon conifer trees.

Both of these trees are drought tolerant and can tolerate poor soil.  Before purchasing a Pinon or Afghan pine make sure it is in a burlap sack or in a good container.  Grab the tree trunk and move it around if it moves inside the bucket and soil does not…this is NOT a good sign.  Go to another tree or nursery.

Christmas Trees Indoors

When you bring the tree home there are a couple of things to know so that your tree will thrive indoors and outdoors when it’s time to plant it.

These trees make great Christmas trees because you can use them indoors as a live Christmas tree then plant them outdoors after the holidays.  You can decorate it with lights, hanging ornaments just like the regular cut or artificial trees.

It’s important to note that the less amount of time indoors the better. Your tree may go into shock if it goes from warm indoor temperatures to cold weather.  To balance this out you should place a bag of ice on top of the root ball making sure it will drain cool water into the soil.  Do this at least twice or more times while it is inside your home or office.

Another thing to consider is to move the tree to the garage or shed after the Christmas season.  Leave it there for about one week or so and then plant it outdoors.  This will help the tree acclimate to the cooler outdoor weather.  In other words from warm indoor temps to a little cooler in the garage then colder temps outdoors.

After Christmas is over

Now, before planting make sure your hole is twice as wide and about the same depth as the container.  Place the balled root into the hole without removing the burlap sack.  Breaking up the burlap sack and removing the soil will stress the tree and the chances of it dying are increased.  The root system will easily break through the burlap sack.  Snipping off the chicken wire is also a good idea and you do not have to remove the burlap as the root system will bust through the fabric.

How much water

Water about once per week until the spring season about 4-5 gallons each time.  Once the warmer weather comes around start watering about 2-3 times per week until fall.  Go back to about once per week schedule during the fall and winter months.  You can cut back on your watering considerably after three or four years in the ground.  Your family will enjoy the tree for years to come.

The Care of Live Christmas Trees

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Learn more about these pines over at – Pine Trees Southwest.  The California Christmas tree is another great tree to use indoors.