When it comes to Christmas trees, there are two basic choices -- living and artificial. Although artificial trees have their place, and manufacturers are producing some startlingly realistic versions, I'm going to focus on the living types.
Living Christmas trees can be further divided into those that are cut and those growing in pots. Let's start with cut trees.
Cut Christmas trees are alive when you purchase them. Having their roots cut away when they are harvested will kill them, of course. But it's our job to keep them on life support and in good shape for as long as possible.
That means keeping water moving into the tree. A tree growing in the ground uses it roots to absorb the water it needs from the soil. When the roots are cut away, the base of the trunk can still absorb water. A Christmas tree is like a giant cut flower, and we take care of it much the same way.
First, make sure the base of the trunk can absorb water as efficiently as possible. Inside the trunk of the tree are thousands of microscopic tubes that end at the cut and run up into the tree. These tubes absorb the water and move it up into the needles, keeping them alive temporarily.
To do this, the tubes must be open. This is absolutely critical.
To ensure the tubes are as open as possible, it's best to recut the base of the tree trunk when you get it home, and immediately put it into a large bucket of warm water (just like a florist handles boxes of cut flowers). If the cut end of the trunk is exposed to the air for a period of time before you put it in water, the tubes can become blocked and so fail to absorb water as efficiently.
Most Christmas trees are harvested well in advance of being sold and have become somewhat dehydrated (trees that are harvested at local tree farms are the exception). To rehydrate your tree, leave it in a big bucket of water outside for a few days after you bring it home. Make sure the tree is in a shady location, and replenish the water as necessary (they can drink a lot the first few days). You can even spray it down once or twice, as long as it is dry when you bring it indoors.
Once inside, place the tree immediately into a stand with a generous water reservoir. Check the tree stand every day without fail, and add more water as necessary. Tree preservatives may be used, but are not nearly as important as simply keeping the reservoir full.
Reducing the tree's exposure to heat can extend its life as well. Heat causes the tree to dry out faster. Turn on the lights, which generate heat, only when necessary. And place your tree away from heat sources, such as fireplaces, hot air vents or space heaters.
I will survive
Potted Christmas trees still have their roots and will survive beyond the holidays. After Christmas, these trees are often planted into the ground, where they will grow and become part of the landscape. Or, they may continue on as container plants to be used as Christmas trees again in the future.
Since these trees, unlike cut trees, will not be discarded after the holidays, particular care should be taken to keep them as healthy as possible. The plants we usually use as potted Christmas trees are not well-adapted to indoor conditions, so we keep them indoors for as short a time as possible. Generally, limit the time indoors to about two weeks.
Place the plant in front of a window where it can get natural light. Check the soil, and water when it feels dry when you stick your finger in it. If the pot is covered with decorative foil or plastic, it will hold excess water and keep the soil too wet. Either punch holes in the covering to allow excess water to drain into a saucer, or remove a smaller plant from the cover, water and allow to drain, and then replace the cover.
It is best not to put lights on potted Christmas trees, and make sure your ornaments are not so heavy that they damage the branches. Place the potted Christmas tree away from heat sources.
After Christmas, either continue to grow the plant in its container or plant it into the ground outside. Many of the plants used for potted Christmas trees are hardy and can be planted in late December or January.
If you plant it into the ground, you need to know what growing conditions it prefers and how big it will grow. Ask about this at the nursery. Most of these plants will need sunny, well-drained locations. Pay careful attention to the mature size. It is easy to plant a relatively small potted Christmas tree in a location where it eventually may grow to be far too large.
Some of the plants at your local nursery that can be used as potted Christmas trees and then added to your landscape include spruce pine, Eastern red cedar (these are nice), junipers ('Sky Rocket' has a narrow upright form that would be good where you need a skinny tree), Arizona cypress, deodar cedar, Savannah holly and other hollies (nice red berries, but they are poisonous), Southern magnolia ('Little Gem' is especially nice for this), Italian stone pine and rosemary (both of these are commonly available sheared into a Christmas-tree shape), arborvitae and Leyland cypress. Look around at the nursery and you may see other suitable choices.
Norfolk Island pine also makes a nice Christmas tree. However, it is not reliably hardy here and may freeze if planted in the ground. Keep it in a pot, repot it as necessary into larger pots, and you can use one as your Christmas tree for a number of years.
DAN GILL'S MAILBOX
I have attached two pictures of a tree that I like, and would like to purchase one to plant in my yard. Would you please identify it for me?
It is a tropical conifer called Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla). You should be able to find the trees in various sizes at local nurseries. They are not reliably hardy here. The tree is more commonly used as a container plant indoors, or outside and brought in on cold nights. New Orleans has experienced mild winters for an unusually long period: The last major freeze to 20 degrees was in 1996, and the last time it hit the teens was 1989. That's why some people have planted these trees in their yards, and they have survived to grow into nice plants. Still, sooner or later night temperatures will reach 20 degrees or below, and they will be killed. In their tropical native habitat (various islands in the tropical Pacific) and frost-free climates like south Florida, these trees grow to be well over 100 feet tall.
We planted three white crape myrtles in November 2007. They have not bloomed at all. Can you tell us if the tree will bloom next summer - or when?
John and Gail Bradley
This isn't something I would be concerned about, as long as the trees appear healthy and have been growing well. It is common for young flowering trees to bloom poorly or not at all for the first few years after being planted. Once in the ground, the roots are free from the constraints of the container and begin to grow vigorously into the surrounding soil. This tends to encourage vegetative growth, rather than flowering. As the trees become better established, they will be more likely to bloom -- it's just a matter of time. I cannot predict what year this will happen, but I can say that if you will be patient they will eventually reward you with blooms year after year. If the trees have grown very little and appear stunted and in poor health, then other issues are at play.
We looked all over for home-grown mirlitons, to no avail. So my husband decided to grow our own for next year. However, the type you find in our local groceries does not taste the same. They are from either Mexico or Costa Rica. He said if we grow them here, they will be like our native home-grown variety. Is this true? Also, how do you tell the male and female mirlitons for planting?
The type of fruit produced by a mirliton vine grown from a mirliton you purchased in the supermarket will be the same or very similar to the parent fruit. And, there is no one home-grown variety. Louisiana gardeners grow a wide variety of mirlitons, some producing larger or smaller fruit, smoother or more wrinkled fruit, spiny or not spiny and green or white. Still, you might be more comfortable growing your vines from fruit produced locally. Have you checked at all the Farmers Markets? There are no male or female mirlitons. Any mirliton fruit you plant will grow into a vine that produces both male and female flowers. So, you only need to plant one mirliton, unless you want more vines for additional production.