Replanting Christmas Trees

By Millie Halpern
Published on November 1, 1981
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Replanting a Christmas tree begins with digging a hole that's about 1 1/2 times larger than the root mass and gently lowering 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.)
Replanting a Christmas tree begins with digging a hole that's about 1 1/2 times larger than the root mass and gently lowering 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.)
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Remove the nails from the burlap bag and loosen that cloth to give the tree's roots some
Remove the nails from the burlap bag and loosen that cloth to give the tree's roots some "breathing room."
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Fill the hole with a portion of the dirt that was removed.
Fill the hole with a portion of the dirt that was removed.
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Use the remaining soil to shape a small mound around the edge of the hole. Then dig a 1- to 2
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.
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Mulch the tree with straw, and give it its first watering by filling the
Mulch the tree with straw, and give it its first watering by filling the "moat" three times.

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

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