After years of considering which was most to be avoided, having a natural tree or a plastic one, I have finally found the perfect option: a potted tree.
Thing is, I have the exact opposite of a green thumb: every single plant I ever ended up having has died on me in a rather short while. I really would hate to see that happen to the small(ish) tree I ended up buying. Any advice on how to care for it is much appreciated.
Linus Van Pelt had a unique solution to this problem in A Charlie Brown Christmas. He discovered that all the sickly little tree needed was some love.
It should surely (srry, didn’t mean to call you that) last a few months with minimal sunlight and a a little water. Its wintertime, and most plants are dormant, so no need to fertilize, over water, etc. Since its likely a tree, it won’t live for years, not without re-potting into larger and larger pots. Are you planning to just plant it outside in spring? Because that’s typical.
If your potted tree is a hardy conifer like a Fraser fir or spruce, for example, it should not be kept in an indoor environment past the holidays. I’d plant it ASAP, keeping it cool and with adequate soil moisture (not soggy) until you can do that.
Of course, if it’s something like a Norfolk Island pine or Italian stone pine and you’re in a northern climate, those will need to be indoor plants for however long you keep them.
What kind of tree exactly do you have?
Most of the pine trees (spruces, actually) on my property were Christmas trees at one time. They were grown from seedlings at different times, dug and brought indoors for Christmas when they were an appropriate size. Most survived.
The keys to survival seemed to be getting a large root ball (like washtub size), keeping the tree watered but not drowned, having it indoors for no more than ten days (preferably a week) and planting it promptly. Our tradition was to bring the tree in and decorate it on Christmas Eve and plant it on New Year’s Day.
If it is a cold-hardy conifer, I would agree that these tend to dislike being indoors (with a heated home, the indoors are too warm and dry for them to do well) so the tree will do best if it can be planted outside soon after the holiday. If you can work the soil, I’d plant it in the ground because it’s easier for plants to survive the temp fluctuations of winter in the ground than in a container. If you can’t plant it because the soil is frozen, I might try overwintering it somewhere near the side of the house where it might be protected from some of the worst of winter’s extremes.
If it is a tropical tree like the above mentioned Norfolk Island Pine, then yes you should expect to keep it as a houseplant. You might want to check with a resource like GardenWeb’s houseplant forum to get more detailed advice on caring for it in that case.
I have been thinking about keeping a potted Christmas tree as well. Is there any way to keep one stunted at 5 feet or smaller? Or will it attempt to out grow the pot and just die?
bonsai cultivation methods keep nondwarf trees small using a sense for what can keep them alive but stunted. you feed and water enough to keep them healthy but small. some of the same methods would be helpful in keeping a not so miniature tree.
That is a very good question. Unfortunately I have no idea how to tell one from the other. My best guess is that, compared to some of the pics online, it doesn’t seem to be a Norfolk Island Pine.
I did read I am supposed to be planting it outside as soon as possible, however I live in a city area and chances are I won’t find a place to plant it any time soon. Which is why I’m hoping something along the lines of what The Man in Black said is possible, and I’ll be able to… I don’t know, just have it around for a while. I know it is a tree, not precisely a house plant, so my hopes for it may be somewhat high, but I feel I owe it at least a try.
Post a link to a photo?
At any rate, a hardy conifer will not survive long-term in an indoor environment with the best of intentions.
You could prolong survival by turning off the heat (a temp in the 40s would be nice). 
Must eat brains!
Just resurrecting this thread to see if anyone around has any ideas on this. Is there any way to keep a pine tree stunted at 4 or 5 feet and have it live in a pot year round. The idea would be to have it live outside the rest of the year, and bring it indoors for the month around Christmas.
Or instead of keeping a pine tree stunted, are there any pine tree like shrubs that will just stay at that height?
Thanks for any ideas.
They’re not all pyramidal “Christmas tree” shapes, but some of them are in this article. (Specifically, the dwarf Colorado spruce and the dwarf false cypress.)
Again, though, you have the problem of what to do with them after the season is over. If you get hardy conifers, they won’t like being indoors constantly. If you get some sort of tender conifer, I hope you have room for a 5-foot shrub in a spot that gets some sort of light.
Rosemary.
It likes pots, it can tolerate a wide range of temperatures - not quite to freezing, but can handle 10F all the way to hot. Keep it in over the coldest portion of your year.
It’s not a conifer, but trim it right and it looks like a “Christmas tree”, and as a bonus you can cook with the trimmings.
Having done absolutely zero research my best guess would be a Yew. It’s an evergreen, it is an understory species, and it has already been bred for shrub and dwarf varieties.
There are tons of dwarf conifers available, and some people do keep them in pots (making it easy to bring them indoors briefly over Xmas).
More info here.
That could be a very nice option. But “not quite to freezing, but can handle 10F”?
I did a Colorado Blue Spruce once, and for a client, a Douglas Fir. This in zone 7. As others said, in the house for a short time (5 days), kept moist and planted ASAP. I dug the hole in advance in case of a deep freeze and kept the soil from the hole covered with some insulation. Leaves and a tarp. Watered well after planting to eliminate air pockets around the root ball. Water properly until the ground does freeze. Use an anti-dessicant spray to protect from drying winds.
The art of Bonsai requires a lot of knowledge and maintenance, not really effective for a Christmas tree.
:smack: Yes, you’re right. Let me clarify: It’s said rosemary can tolerate being outdoors all year in USDA zones 8-11*, which do see occasional dips to 10F, which is, yes, below freezing. But what I meant (as opposed to what I said) is that you won’t have a perennial if you leave it outdoors in constant freezing temperatures for very long. A couple of hours in the darkest part of night when the temp hits its low for the week probably won’t kill it, but it doesn’t tolerate snow drift kind of weather. The weather can hit freezing. The rosemary can’t. 
*It will vary some by cultivar type, of course. More info here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/RightRosemary.html
And some good tips here, by a brave gardener who has had luck almost another 10 degree cooler! http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/qa/overwintering-rosemary.aspx
Very good info. I used Rosemary as a container plant on a client’s deck at their vacation home. I’m not sure what my boss decided to do with it for the winter. We do some outdoor Christmas decorating for them and I think next year I’ll work on that Christmas Tree version for them to bring indoors until warmer weather returns. Thanks for that idea!