Helping your living Christmas tree thrive.

When buying your living or fresh cut tree, bring a sheet or tarp to cover it if you plan to transport it in an open truck or car top. An unnaturally rapid drop in temperature that can occur with wind chill in a truck can damage your tree. (We also offer a delivery service for your convenience).

If you wish, prepare the hole now for planting after the holidays. Cover the hole with boards for safety and for easier access.

When outdoors, protect the tree's root ball (pot) from drying wind and sun. Water with snow and ice even if the soil is frozen.

While indoors, place the tree away from sources of heat: wood stoves, furnaces, heat registers.

Keep the tree indoors for 10 days or less; longer and you lower its chances of survival (longer in cold locations inside).

While indoors keep the soil moist. Water daily with a little snow or ice. Mist frequently if possible.

Decorate carefully with cool miniature lights. After Christmas (the time when most trees suffer):

Slowly re-acclimate the tree to the cold outside. Move the tree from the house to a location of barely freezing intermediate temperature (a garage or sheltered porch) for at least a week (or as many days as it was indoors)

After the transition, move the tree from the garage or porch to the prepared hole (leave tree in pot) or to a location where the root ball will be out of the sun and where the tree will receive natural snowfall. Cover the root ball with pine needles or bury it in the snow if possible. Keep your tree's roots cold and moist all winter. Avoid repeated freezing and thawing of the root-ball.

Finish planting in the spring. Remove any twine from the base of the trunk, amend the soil with rich mature compost: Kellogg's Gromulch, fertilize at planting time with Dr. Earth or Biosol fertilizer (summer feed with Maxsea Acid ), mulch well with Soil Building Compost and water regularly. The Villager has detailed planting instructions. Don't forget to ask about our one year Gromulch "Gro-guarantee".