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A Living Christmas Tree is a Tree for LifeHere's a simple way to green up your Christmas. Buy a real living Christmas tree - roots and all. Pot it up carefully, keep it in your home for 10 to 15 days and then plant it out in your garden for a year or two before bringing it in for another bit of festive cheer! Here's what to look for in a living Christmas tree
It's important to buy a tree which has a good, well-developed root ball. Most pot grown trees, provided they have been looked after, should be fine in this respect. Don't buy plants which have been stored inside a heated garden centre as you not will be able to get so long from it indoors. Make sure that the needles are in good condition and are not already starting to drop in any quantity. There are several varieties which may suit your purpose. Douglas Fir and Norway Spruce both do well as living Christmas trees. If you are looking for an excuse to buy something exotic for your garden and think that it could double up as a living Christmas tree, be careful to check that it is hardy enough to withstand temperature changes. I used a small Thuja one year which didn't hold ornaments particularly well, but it looked nice and did very well in the garden afterwards. Here's how to keep your Christmas tree aliveIf it is in its own pot, then you need only make sure that it is well watered and that there is enough potting mix in the tub. If you have time and space, put it in a cool out-house for two or three days to bridge the gap between the chilly outside world and the warmth inside your home. If you buy a tree with bare roots you will need to pot it up straight away. Make sure that the pot you choose is ample and has good drainage holes. Fill the bottom of the pot with a few old crocks to help excess water to drain away. place the tree in the pot, tucking in any stray rootlets and carefully fill it with a good quality potting mixture. Tamp down the compost until the roots are securely supported and in contact with the soil. Water your living Christmas tree immediately and copiously and let it drain freely. Check that the tree is well bedded into the potting mix and put it out in a shed for a couple of days to acclimatise. Daily wateringYour living Christmas tree will stand a far greater chance of staying a living Christmas tree if you water it daily (OK, you might want to forget it on Christmas day...). It should be stood in the coolest part of your room or hallway (not next to a radiator or near a heat source). Place it in a deep tray or tub so that excess water (and soil) does not damage your flooring. Water all around the base of the tree each time. Most trees will need at least a litre of water or more, depending on the size. Don't let your tree stand in a puddle of water for days. Keep all electric lights well away from any water. Where can you buy good trees?There do not seem to be many organic growers just yet. In Oregon (US) there is a new scheme for tagging Christmas trees to show their environmentally sustainable credentials. This is run by the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers. If you live in the San Diego area (US) you can now order a tree and have it delivered by singing, dancing elves! Here's the link: Adopt a Christmas Tree This company is hoping to give your children an unforgettable holiday experience. They will even collect the tree afterwards and replant it in an area affected by the recent fires. (Or you can put it in your garden for next year) They supply lots of different sizes and types, even young giant sequoias!  In Britain you can buy sustainably grown trees through the Forestry Commission. They have a list of outlets around Christmas time. All trees are FSC certified and for each tree harvested another is planted. they are not necessarily organic, though. Church Farm Organics on the Wirral do organic trees. They seem to mainly supply cut trees, though. A new British site now offers rented Christmas trees. They deliver and pick up again. Nice and easy. See www.livingchristmastree.co.uk/ for more info.
Another family suggested using replanted trees; when they get too big they simply lop off the top to supply the home with a new Christmas tree (and at the same time prune the remaining tree in the ground!) That's one way to stop your tree outgrowing your garden. Many suitable Christmas tree varieties do tend to grow to a fairly massive size after a few years, so if you do opt for one of these don't plant it too close to your house or outbuildings. If you live in a fairly hot or Mediterranean climate, consider buying a Italian Stone pine (Pinus pinea). They will tolerate a fair amount of heat and with a bit of luck you may even harvest pine nuts for years to come! If your area is prone to drought or windy conditions maybe a Afghan pine (Pinus eldarica) will be suitable. It also tolerates very hot weather. In from the wildsI'm sure there are lots more creative ideas for greening your Christmas tree. One idea I like is to go into the woods and pick a selection of small branches, some evergreen, and then just arrange the branches in a display. Put them into a big heavy jug or tub, with water in the bottom. Just add glitter, tinsel, decorations, perhaps some LED Christmas lights, (keep electrics and water separate, of course!) and you've got yourself a fine and original Christmas display. I guess this counts as a kind of green, living Christmas tree! What's wrong with non-organic treesThe main problem is the use of pesticides. A study in 2005 showed that workers in Oregon and North Carolina were at considerable risk from Organophosphates such as Di-Syston-15G. OPs can cause a number of unpleasant and health-ruining effects from accidental exposure. You might be forgiven for thinking that pesticides such as herbicides and fungicides are only needed occasionally, or just at certain critical times of the year. In fact, a whole range of pesticides is used for routine control of diseases and insect attack all year round. You can learn more about the specific pesticides used here: Agricultural Resource Center Pesticide Education Project The wider environment can suffer too. Pesticides cause pollution of water sources and nearby humans and animals can be affected by airborne sprays drifting to adjacent land and settlements. For more on the problems caused by pesticides please see: Pesticide Problems
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