Timing is key when planting a live Christmas tree

Q: We just bought our first home and my bride wants this year’s Christmas tree to be one we can plant in the yard, to be a remembrance tree. I think it’s a great idea but don’t know if there are rules about using a live tree and then planting it. Guide us, please! — H.M., Albuquerque

A: I think using a living tree as your holiday tree is great, and planting it outside to have for years to come is a lovely idea.

First, I want you to make sure that your yard has enough space to be able to handle a tree that could, over the years, become mammoth once it reaches mature height.

Once you’ve chosen the spot, I want you to be sure to look up. Are there electric wires overhead? Perhaps the eaves of the house itself? Nothing is worse than a tree growing into something that could be dangerous in the long run.

Next, is the spot really sunny and perhaps has a lot of reflective heat, perhaps near a wall, bouncing off it? A confined hot spot might not be the best spot for an evergreen to aim to thrive.

If you both are internet savvy, there is a wealth of info there, or get to a nursery and pick the brains of some of the more knowledgeable folks there to make a great choice for your yard.

Meanwhile, if you’ve chosen the spot, I’d recommend digging the receiving hole the tree will be planted in. Lay a tarp next to the area and place the soil you excavate on it. That way you’ll be able to mix in ample amounts of compost and perhaps peat moss to that soil and be more ready when planting time comes.

The most important thing about having a living tree as your holiday tree is the timing. You should keep it indoors for NO MORE THAN 5 DAYS. Meaning, you bring it in the day before Christmas Eve and get it back outside two days after Christmas. Period! No fudging if your aim is to keep the tree healthy. If kept indoors for too long, the tree might think it’s time to wake up and would suffer needlessly when plunked back outside in the cold.

Aim to place it indoors where it will be kept as cool as possible. No heat vents nearby, and certainly not near a working fireplace. Think cool.

When it comes to decorating, the newer LED lights don’t create a lot of heat so you can light the tree with them, remembering to leave the lights off if you aren’t in the room or more importantly, not at home. Be safe.

Direct sunlight coming through a window might be too warm, again, think cool.

Once the fifth day is reached, remove the decorations and get the tree back outdoors. Placing it in an unheated, cold garage or sitting it under a covered patio for several days is the ticket. You are aiming to lull the tree back into its state of dormancy. Be sure you water the pot holding the tree, never allowing it to dry out in the least.

Then you have two choices. Plant the tree after it’s cooled back down, or wait until early spring next year and plant then. Planting now, the tree would have more time to settle in and get its roots comfy.

Remember, if you choose to wait, you will need to be far more vigilant about keeping the pot watered, especially if it’s going to freeze hard. Ice insulates, dry frost kills.

There is a bit of research in choosing the correct tree, making sure you have the proper space to offer it, and are prepared to take care of it — indoors and outdoors — but as a tradition, I think it’s one that rocks.

Happy Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.