Especially shortly before Christmas, many spruce or fir trees are offered in pots as Christmas trees. In itself it's a great idea to use the tree for several years, but unfortunately this rarely works in practice. Why?
How to grow a spruce in a pot?
A spruce tree in a pot can be cultivated successfully by giving it enough, but not too much, water, slowly accustoming it to temperature changes, only keeping it in a warm living room for a short time and then protecting it well from frost.
Can a spruce be grown in a pot?
In contrast to the fir, a spruce can be cultivated quite well in a pot because it is a so-called shallow-rooted tree. What is particularly important is that the spruce is optimally supplied with water, as it cannot tolerate waterlogging or prolonged drought. If the spruce doesn't get enough water, it will soon drop its needles.
Where should I buy the spruce?
It is better not to buy a spruce tree that you want to keep for longer than a few weeks at Christmas at a Christmas tree sale. On the one hand, Nordmann firs are often offered here, but on the other hand, the roots of the small spruces are often improperly trimmed.
It is better to contact a tree nursery, where the root ball is kept small and compact by frequent moving. The gardener calls this retraining. This means that a spruce can later be transplanted into the buyer's garden as a stately tree.
Is the spruce always suitable as a Christmas tree?
If you take good care of your potted spruce, you can enjoy it for many years, not only in the garden but also as a Christmas tree. However, you should be satisfied with a fairly small tree to start with. Once your spruce has reached a certain size, it can no longer tolerate being moved well. This point is reached at around 1.2 meters height.
Spruce care in brief:
- slowly get used to heat or cold
- water regularly
- leave it in the warm living room for only a few days
- plant in the pot in September/October
- take it outside soon after the party
- Protect the pot and root ball well from frost
- only plant back in the garden when the ground is frost-free
Tip
It is best to buy a spruce in a pot from a tree nursery, where you will find plants with a high chance of survival.
