How To Replant Your Real Christmas Tree After The Holiday Season

While artificial Christmas trees are widely available these days, many still prefer a real tree during the holiday season. If you do decide to bring a live Christmas tree into your home, you might also want to plant it after the holidays are over. Unfortunately, replanting a Christmas tree successfully is tricky. Not all trees can be replanted. However, if you bought one with the root ball intact, it can be done.

To find out how, Hunker exclusively spoke with expert Melanie Rekola, founder of Melanie Rekola Landscape Design. Rekola told us that successful replanting starts with being wise about your strategy from the beginning. She said, "Acclimatize your tree before bringing it inside and before bringing it outside again. This can be done by placing it in an unheated area like a three-season porch or bright garage space for a few days before bringing it inside or outside after the holidays are over. This way the tree isn't so shocked by the change in temperature and has a better chance of survival." 

Once the tree is inside, Rekola advised keeping it away from heat. "The problems aren't usually in the planting of the tree, its problem's how it's kept inside. Live Christmas trees need to be kept in the coolest place possible indoors, not beside a fireplace or any other heat source. It's very stressful on the tree to go from cold to hot, then back to cold again," she explained. Also, she notes that the less time you keep it inside, the better chance you'll have of growing it outside. When asked for a specific length of time, she told us, "The smallest amount of time possible — ideally less than two weeks."

While everything that's done before replanting is what's most important, there are other things to consider. Landscaping design expert Melanie Rekola noted that you should move quickly. She said, in an exclusive interview with Hunker, "Plant it as soon as possible because the potted tree's roots are exposed to freeze and thaw cycles that can damage the tree." 

After replanting the tree, you should also give it some TLC. When asked how much it should be watered, Rekola replied, "This is dependent upon the conditions such as weather and soil type, but generally three times per week for the first two months. But if temps are below zero, don't water again after the initial watering at planting time." 

For simplicity's sake, it may be best to reconsider a real Christmas tree altogether. Rekola has an excellent alternative as a suggestion. "Instead of a traditional Christmas tree, one could choose a Norfolk pine (Araucaria heterophylla) instead — these are a type of tropical evergreen trees sold as houseplants that can live in a pot for many years indoors in a sunny location," she said. There is one caveat, however. "The foliage isn't strong enough to hang ornaments on, but they can handle lightweight, wire fairy lights." If you're willing to leave the ornaments off the tree and stick to lighter decorations, however, the indoor Norfolk pine tree could be a great choice.