Potted Christmas trees: how to keep one alive and replant it
3 min read · Published
RHS advice on bringing a potted Christmas tree indoors, how long it can stay, and how to plant it out or keep it in a pot for next year.
A potted tree can come back for another Christmas, but it needs different handling from a cut tree. The RHS advice is to bring it in as late as possible, keep it cool, and get it back outside within 12 days (RHS).
Pot-grown or containerised?
The RHS separates two kinds of tree sold in pots (RHS):
- Container-grown trees have grown in a pot.
- Containerised trees were “dug up with roots and plunged into pots” for sale.
Ask the seller which kind you’re buying. If you plan to keep the tree for years, ask for a container-grown one.
Indoors
- Bring it in as late as you can. The RHS says the weekend before Christmas is ideal.
- Keep it in a cool room, away from radiators and fires.
- No more than 12 days inside, the RHS says, “but be guided by the tree. If it looks unhappy, put it back outside.”
- Check the soil. A potted tree drinks through its roots, not a cut trunk, so the water has to go in the pot.
After Christmas: plant it or pot it on
The RHS gives two options:
- Plant it in the garden. Be aware of the size it can reach. The RHS says Christmas trees planted out can grow to 15 to 20m in twenty years, and eventually about 40m. Fraser firs are among the smallest, at about 7m after twenty years. Korean firs reach about 4m.
- Keep it in a pot for next year. Move it into a bigger pot every year until it reaches the largest size you can still move, about 45cm (18in) across and deep.
The RHS says most Christmas trees prefer a sheltered position in full sun.
Which compost
The RHS recommends a peat-free John Innes No 2 potting compost for potted Christmas trees (RHS). This is the RHS’s general advice for Christmas trees, including the Nordmann fir. It doesn’t give a separate compost for each species.
Why potted trees struggle
The RHS warns that Christmas trees grown on in pots “may only live for a few years, as they are not naturally suited to ongoing pot cultivation” (RHS). Keeping the tree’s time indoors short gives it the best start. If you want a tree that lasts decades, plant it in the ground somewhere with room for it to grow.
Is it greener?
The Carbon Trust calls replanting “the preferred method” for a potted tree, and says reusing it spreads its carbon footprint over several years. By comparison, chipping a cut tree reduces its footprint by up to 80%. Landfill is the worst option, because a rotting tree produces methane, which the Carbon Trust says is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide (Carbon Trust). For the full comparison with artificial trees, see Real or artificial: which Christmas tree is greener?