Our Twelve Top Tips for keeping Christmas Trees in pots

1. Choose a suitable pot – The pot size will depend on how tall you want your tree to be. A good rule of thumb is to use a pot at least 250mm larger in diameter than the root ball and make sure it has drainage holes at the bottom.

2. Choose a suitable tree – There are many different types of Christmas trees, but not all are suitable for indoors. Some species do better than others when kept under lights in your home during the holidays. Fir trees are generally more accessible to keep alive than other species. They also retain their needles longer than any other type of Christmas tree.

3. Once you bring home your new tree, set it up in a bucket of water for a few days before planting it so that its roots have time to adjust to their new environment.

4. Remember to acclimate your tree slowly, this can be done by putting the tree on a porch or conservatory before bringing it indoors.

5. To reduce stress and damage to living trees, display them in a cool room.

6. Bring trees indoors as late as possible – the weekend before Christmas is ideal.

7. Do not keep living trees in the house any longer than 12 days, but be guided by the tree, if it looks unhappy, put it back outside.

8. It is essential to keep the soil moist and top up the water when it starts to dry-out. You can use ice cubes to slowly water your tree by placing several ice cubes on the soil. 

9. Keep your tree away from radiators or other heat sources to protect them.

10. We also suggest using a tray underneath the potted tree to catch excess water that escapes after watering.

11. Either plant the tree out in the garden after Christmas, or (if you want to bring it indoors again next year) grow it on in a container moving it into a bigger pot annually.

12. Sit back and enjoy your tree knowing potted Christmas trees are the best eco-friendly option and a great way to save money in the long term.