I bought a tree

We went to our local outdoor market today and one vendor had a HUGE selection of B&B trees. I bought a 5' Douglas Fir. It is a gorgeous tree.

What I would love to do is keep it on my deck until after Christmas. I would like to decorate it for the critters during that time then after the holidays, plant it.

My question is should I wait until spring and protect the root ball on my deck or just plant it in the ground straight away after Christmas?

Won't it be hard to plant in the ground in OH in December?

You dig the hole now from what I read.

Most of the issues come from when people use them inside then put them outdoors.

Two issues here:

1) the tree's root ball will freeze much more in an above ground situation on your deck than it will when planted in the ground.

2) Even if you dig the hole now how will you create an exact fit for the tree's rootball - there will be gaps, the sides of the hole will be frozen, the hole is like a pit trap that people & animals might fall in.

Only evergreen that survives freezing in a pot (at least here in NJ) is Alberta spruce. Even tiny ones in a window box come through winter O.K.

Let me suggest that you cut down a well branched sapling tree. Wedge it into a soil-filled pot. This winter you can hang bird feeder(s), suet cakes, even a half coconut in its shell (there are birds that love to peck at this!) You'll enjoy watching the activity, and so will your cats.

Then in Spring plant morning glories and they'll clamber up using the tree as a trellis.

Years ago we bought a live tree for Christmas. It was only two feet tall. The nursery told us to put it in a tub and keep the root ball moist. And that it should only be kept in the house for a week at the most.

They also recommended digging the hole ahead of time and lining it with marsh hay. Save the dirt in containers out of the weather. (It snows here) After planting it spread the hay around the bottom of the tree. Then just leave it alone.

We are in a cold climate and digging the hole was hard. One other thing that they did not mention is that the dirt that we kept in buckets on the back porch froze. It should have been kept in a warm place until we were ready to plant. It took much longer to fill the hole because the dirt had to be defrosted.

After that we decided that if we were ever to get a live tree again we would plan ahead and dig the hole before the ground was frozen and keep the dirt inside until it was needed.

We never did get another live tree but the first one is still living in my mother's back yard.

I think I will just plant it in the back yard. There is nothing stopping me from decorating it for the critters if it is planted in the back, we just won't see it as much. I don't want it to die.

Come to think of it, when I worked for the landscaping company, the B&B trees we used were Alberta Spruce.

Thanks Catapault and CheshireCat...I appreciate the input.

I concur with Cheshire cat. The key to do this keeping the root ball moist and the soil to fill the hole kept unfrozen! Thats a good size rootball and it would be iffy if it survived the winter. When you plant it now make sure you remove the burlap/rope/any wire. Water water water until the ground freezes. Mulch well too.

Originally Posted by zohdee

I think I will just plant it in the back yard. There is nothing stopping me from decorating it for the critters if it is planted in the back, we just won't see it as much. I don't want it to die.

Come to think of it, when I worked for the landscaping company, the B&B trees we used were Alberta Spruce.

Thanks Catapault and CheshireCat...I appreciate the input.

Click to expand...

As long as you aren't near freezing temps all ready, I definitely would plant it now if you can't protect it till spring. A 5 foot Douglas Fir if planted in a large enough container and properly insulated will easily survive the winter. It's all about protecting the roots, this is the source of life and if they are exposed to extreme weather from sun to freezing cold, they will die........