Options for live or cut trees, and tips to make them last
There are plenty of options for decorative trees during the holiday season. Texas A&M AgriLife experts have ideas and tips for a live or cut Christmas tree, including an increasingly popular option — live container-grown or balled-and-burlap trees.
Sign for a Christmas tree farm
Christmas tree options vary from artificial, to precut and fresh-cut trees from local farms and even live container trees, including alternatives like tropical indoor varieties. Go into the holidays with an open mind about your choices for a decorative holiday centerpiece. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie)
Oregon and North Carolina account for 51% of harvested Christmas trees annually, with almost 3.4 million and 4.3 million trees, respectively. But tree farms in Texas have increased over recent years both as a destination experience and supplier of shipped and locally grown trees.
Fraser, Douglas and balsam firs are popular tree varieties shipped from other parts of the country. Eastern red cedar, Virginia and Afghan pine, and Arizona, Leyland and Carolina sapphire cypress trees are suited for growing in Texas climates. These can be bought locally as a cut tree or in a container.
Potted Christmas tree tips
Mike Arnold, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research landscape horticulturist in the Department of Horticulture Sciences and director of the Gardens at Texas A&M University, Bryan-College Station, said there is a growing trend during the holidays to decorate potted live trees. Potted trees, unlike cut trees, can be planted into a landscape after their decorative use.
“It’s a green-friendly alternative,” he said. “You’re putting back instead of removing, and I think a lot of people are drawn to that, the experience of planting a tree and having a good-looking evergreen in the landscape.”
There are two major considerations for potted plants, Arnold said – choosing the right tree variety for local growing conditions and maintaining the tree’s dormancy while using it to decorate.
Being mindful of a tree’s dormancy is important to avoid post-planting freeze damage during the coldest winter months, Arnold said. The tree should be kept indoors for as short a time as possible and preferably outdoors or in a transitional space that remains cooler.
Arnold also recommends using LED lights for decorating as these will not heat up as much as older bulbs and potentially damage the tree.
“My recommendation is to have the tree indoors a few days before Christmas and then plant it outdoors on, or soon after, New Year’s Day, so a week to 10 days because you would likely run into problems beyond that,” he said. “The concern when bringing a container tree into your home is that the tree thinks it is spring and will break bud and sap will begin moving in stems. That spring-like activity can lead to damage in freezing temperatures.”
Arnold said buyers should consult AgriLife Extension agents in their county or nursery professionals to discuss variety options that are adapted for local conditions and the best location for the tree in the landscape according to growth habit and sunlight requirements.
The root ball should be kept moist because dry environments can cause moisture stress, Arnold said. When planting, trees should be planted with the base level or slightly above ground level to avoid pooling water.
Arnold said rosemary makes a good alternative Christmas tree, and that Norfolk Island pines and weeping fig trees, which are tropical trees, can be used as indoor plants after the holidays are over.
“You don’t have to have a conifer,” he said. “Other trees and house plants can be used as temporary decorative trees.”