I have a great Douglas Fir we used as a Christmas tree and that we purchased the weekend after Thanksgiving. I am wanting to know if there is a way to continue its life by planting it outside. We watered the tree daily and gave it plant / tree food / nutrients and it is still alive and well today. I would really hate to distroy it by recycling it because it is doing so well next to our big window that let a lot of sunlight in for the tree. Please let me know what I can do next with it.
If you are close to LA, it seems that the temperature is mild enough to move the tree outdoors right away. You could move it to a garage for a week if the garage temperature is in-between, but you should be able to just plant it outside. Unless you shear it - hopefully not - It probably needs at least a 15' wide area to put in the middle of. Don't dig the hole deeper than the root ball, otherwise the fill soil could settle over time and lower your tree below grade a few inches. And that would not be good. Dig the hole the depth of the ball, so the ball rests on the bottom of the hole. No need to amend the soil. Add some mulch on top. Maybe an couple of inches. Keep soil moist but not saturated. Don't prune for at least a year, maybe two.
a cut tree ??? if cut, recycle it .... it will not root .... or does it have roots on it ??? if it has roots ... i would place it outdoors... on the north side of a building ... and keep it out of all direct sun until it is hardened off to real sunlight rather than the dark house [shade is much more intense than most newer windows] ... perhaps a week .... then move it to early or late sun for a week.. then perhaps plant it.. if it is appropriate for your area .... why did you feel a tree with roots needed feeding ... and what.. precisely did you feed it??? .. and how ... if you gave it too much food.. you might spur it to grow out of a normal cycle ... which may or may not be problematic .... more facts please ... ken
