How to keep a potted Christmas tree alive
A potted Christmas tree is an outdoor tree paying a visit to your living room. Keep the visit short, cool and well watered, and in January it goes back outside in one piece.
To keep a potted Christmas tree alive, keep it indoors for as short a time as you can, in a cool, bright spot well away from radiators and fires, and never let the compost dry out. Before it comes in and after it goes out, give it a few days somewhere sheltered and unheated, such as a garage or porch.
Why does a Christmas tree struggle indoors?
Norway spruce (Picea abies), Europe’s classic Christmas tree, is an outdoor tree. In December it is dormant, resting until spring. University of Illinois Extension explains that the warmth of a house can wake it from that rest and set it growing out of season. Michigan State University Extension adds that once it warms up, it starts to lose the cold hardiness it came in with.
The trouble comes later, when it goes back out in the middle of January: soft new shoots and a tree that has forgotten the cold make a poor start to the year. So caring for a potted Christmas tree is mostly about keeping the visit short and easing it in and out.
How long can a potted Christmas tree stay indoors?
The experts don’t agree on an exact figure, and it’s worth saying so. The RHS suggests no more than twelve days, and to be guided by the tree: if it looks unhappy, put it back outside. Michigan State says 7 to 10 days, or fewer if you can. Illinois is stricter still and prefers four to five days.
What they all share is the direction: the shorter, the better. The RHS suggests bringing the tree in as late as possible, ideally the weekend before Christmas, and plenty of people decorate it outdoors until then. If you want a tree in the living room all month, a cut tree or a houseplant suits that job better.
Easing the tree into the warmth (and back out)
Sudden change is what hurts most. Before the tree comes into the living room, give it a few days somewhere sheltered but unheated: a garage, a porch, a shed. Illinois suggests three to four days; Penn State Extension allows longer, up to one or two weeks. Iowa State gives the same advice to anyone buying early: keep it somewhere cool until Christmas.
On the way out, reverse the steps. A few days back in the garage or porch, and only then outside to its usual spot. Penn State notes that if a hard frost is forecast, it’s better to keep the pot under cover so the compost and roots don’t freeze.
Where should a potted Christmas tree go?
Indoors, the right place is the coolest, brightest spot you have. The RHS warns that needles drop quickly when a tree sits close to a heat source; Washington State University Extension, drawing on Colorado State, also wants it away from heating and draughts. Clemson suggests a cool room near a window.
Good places:
- Beside a window, in a room that doesn’t get too warm.
- A bright entrance hall, as long as there’s no radiator next to it.
Avoid: radiators, open fires, wood burners and warm-air vents.
How to water a potted Christmas tree
The roots must never dry out, say both Illinois and Clemson. Indoors, with the heating on, the compost dries much faster than it would outside. Penn State suggests standing the pot inside a watertight container, such as a large tub or bucket, so you can water properly without spoiling the floor.
Let your finger decide: if the top few centimetres feel dry, water until the whole root ball is wet. If you’re never quite sure when it’s time, see how to tell if a houseplant needs water. While it’s in the living room, check the compost every day.
After Christmas, back outdoors, it follows the rhythm of an outdoor tree in a pot, which depends a lot on where it stands. On a shady patio in January, the app reckons on watering every 11 days. Through the year, in a 16 cm plastic pot:
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| Shady balcony or patio | 5 days | 11 days |
| Sunny balcony | 4 days | 7 days |
| East-facing window | 4 days | 9 days |
| North-facing window | 7 days | 14 days |
Why is my potted Christmas tree dropping needles?
Needles falling in handfuls indoors almost always mean heat or dry compost. The RHS names these two causes for Christmas trees in general. First check the compost and water if it’s dry, then move the tree away from any source of warmth.
If it keeps shedding, or pale new shoots appear at the tips of the branches, don’t wait for Twelfth Night: the tree is telling you the visit has gone on long enough. Move it to the garage or porch, and then outside.
What to do with a potted Christmas tree after Christmas
There are two ways to give it a future. The RHS says a container-grown tree is a good option to plant in the garden after Christmas, or to move into a bigger pot. It also warns that Christmas trees kept in pots for good often last only a few years, as they aren’t naturally suited to life in a container. Michigan State points out that many of these trees grow vigorously once they’re in the ground: if you plant yours, choose a spot where it will still fit when it’s fully grown.
Not every tree sold in a pot was grown in one: Michigan State explains that some are raised in containers and others are dug from the field and potted for sale. In the shop, it’s worth asking which one you’re taking home. And in November and December most houseplants slow down too, as we explain in why houseplants slow down in November.
Summary: the potted Christmas tree
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before it comes in | A few days in an unheated garage or porch |
| Time indoors | As short as possible; sources range from four to twelve days |
| Where | A cool, bright spot near a window |
| Away from | Radiators, fires, warm-air vents |
| Watering | Roots always moist; check the compost daily |
| Dropping needles | Heat or dry compost; if it continues, move it out |
| After it goes out | A few days under cover; protect from hard frost |
| Next year | Plant it in the garden or move it to a bigger pot |
Quick questions
Can I keep a potted Christmas tree indoors all December? It’s not a good idea. The warmth breaks its winter rest and it suffers when it goes back out. Decorate it outside and bring it in only for the last few days.
Should I water my potted Christmas tree every day? Check the compost every day and water when the surface feels dry. With the heating on, that may be more often than you expect.
Can I use the same tree next Christmas? You can, if it spends the year outside, well watered, and moves up to bigger pots as it grows. But, according to the RHS, it rarely lasts many years in a pot.
One tree, two homes
A potted Christmas tree lives in two places: a few days in the living room and the rest of the year outside. In Verdejar you tell the app where it stands and how much light it gets, and it adjusts the watering to the spot and the season and reminds you when it’s time. To dress the rest of the house this season, see the plants to decorate your home at Christmas and how to care for a poinsettia.
Sources: Royal Horticultural Society · University of Illinois Extension · Michigan State University Extension · Penn State Extension · Iowa State University Extension · Clemson Home & Garden Information Center · Washington State University Extension. The days between waterings come from the Verdejar watering engine.