Top tips for planting Christmas trees

Christmas may have been and gone, with the steady supply of chocolates starting to dwindle, distant relatives finally packing their bags, and New Year’s Resolutions looming. But fear not, you can start prepping for next Christmas TODAY! Here are some top tips for transplanting your tree, ready for the next festive season!

A few things first:

• Check your tree is real – not one of those artificial ones…
• It’s advisable to remove lights, baubles, tinsel, beads, garlands and other festive decorations
• Check that the tree has roots – cut offs will not grow.

Now that’s out of the way, here’s a little more troubleshooting to note before you start ;)

• You can transplant your tree at any time – preferably before it becomes a fire hazard.
• Is your tree still alive…?! We hope you’ve been keeping you tree well-watered and hydrated over the festive period, if not, your tree may unfortunately be a lost cause. If it’s happy and healthy, great! Carry on…
• Will your species of tree cope with being transplanted? Some species of trees react better to being transplanted as they naturally cope with the drying conditions of indoor environments such as central heating, and therefore will be in a much healthier state ready to be planted. So, if you bought a Nordmann Fir, you’re in luck, as they’re very resilient; however, a Norway Spruce which is already dropping needles, may well be dead.
• Can all rooted trees be successfully transplanted? Bare root trees will be harder to transplant than trees that have been grown in their container or dug out of the ground with a substantial ball of roots.
• Your Christmas tree may have some new growth due to the warm and cosy conditions, especially if you were eager to get into the festive spirit and put your tree up early! Trees with new growth can still be transplanted, however the new roots could be damaged by the winter weather so the tree may not perform very well for the first few seasons (unless you’re reading this down under in Aus!)

Ok, so now you’ve double checked your tree is still alive and suitable for transplanting, you’re ready to go!

Top tip: before transplanting into the ground, plant into a PLANT!T 37L Round DirtPot - this will make it so much easier to take back out of the ground in 2018!

1. Dig a hole so that the tree will be at the same depth as it is in the pot.
2. Do not remove any soil from around the roots
3. Place the tree in the hole and flood the hole with water to ensure the roots are well watered, we recommend using SuperThive or VitaLink BioPac Powder to help reduce shock and develop roots
4. Larger trees may require cane support. Place this at an angle to the tree so that you do not drive the stake through the root ball and damage any roots.

Ongoing care:

Ensure you water your tree thoroughly in the spring and summer, as the roots will not have had time to establish themselves at a good depth. 

Many thanks to our partners at Hydrogarden for plenty of advance notice!