REPLANT YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE

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This holiday season, you can establish a living tradition that will endure for generations.

by Millie Halpern

In the restful aftermath of the holidays that sets in toward the end of December, a person can walk through just about any neighborhood and see dozens of bedraggled "used" Christmas trees dumped beside the road to await trash collectors. A custom that was originally meant to provide a reminder of the sleeping promise of spring in the dead of winter has now become yet another symbol of our throw-away society.

To replant Your Christmastree . . .
[1] dig a hole that's about 1-1/2 times larger than the root mass and gently lower the sapling into place. (If your area has early freezes, you may have to dig the hole a few weeks before the holidays, store the dirt indoors, and fill the hole with straw until planting time.)
[2] Remove the nails from the burlap bag and loosen that cloth to give the tree's roots some "breathing room".
[3] Fill the hole with a portion of the dirt that was removed, and . . .

However, you can avoid such waste by purchasing a living tree ... one with its roots intact in a burlap-wrapped ball of earth. Live evergreens not only remain beautiful throughout the festive season (unlike cut trees, which tend to dry out rapidly), but can be replanted once they've served their holiday function. In that way, you'll create a permanent, living reminder of one of the year's most joyful family occasions . . . and improve the value of your property, establish a new windbreak, or provide some welcome summer shade in the process.

use the remaining soil to shape
a small mound around the edge
of the hole. Then dig a 1- to 2"
-wide ditch just inside that dike.

If the transplant is to be successful, though, certain guidelines will have to be followed ... and these "rules" start to come into play as soon as you visit the Christmas tree lot or nursery. Most horticulturists agree that fir, spruce, and pine are all good candidates for post-holiday planting. Actually, almost any variety of tree—as long as its roots are wrapped in burlap—will adapt well to transplantation . . . except hemlocks.

Choose a healthy specimen with long, full branches and a large earth ball that's not frozen . . . and expect to pay $35 to $40 (or more in large cities) for a four- or five-foot tree. Once you've brought home your handsome selection, you'll need to "break it in" by leaving it in a cool, slightly damp area (such as a garage or basement) for three or four days to lessen the shock of the transition from outdoors to in. During this interim period, keep the root ball covered with straw, peat moss, or an old blanket.

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