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| How to Care for Your
Clean your tree before you bring it inside brush off dead needles, critters, insect egg masses and spider webs and wipe off the dust. Place the tree in a galvanized tub large enough to hold the root ball. This tub stabilizes the tree and ball (or pot) and confines water and needles into a more manageable and cleanable space. Stabilize the tree in the tub in a straight and vertical position using rocks or bricks. If balled-in-burlap, fill the empty space around and on top of the ball with mulch to retain as much moisture as possible. Then water your tree as often as necessary to moisten the roots but do not over-water. If you can do it without ruining your ornaments, misting the tree every few days will help it out. In your house, place your tree in the coolest part of the room and away from heating ducts. This will help prevent the loss of valuable moisture. Leave the live tree inside no longer than 7 to 10 days (some experts suggest only 4 days). Never add nutrients or fertilizers as that may initiate growth which you don’t want to occur in a dormant tree. After the holidays, readjust the tree to outdoor temperatures by placing it back on the sheltered porch or in the garage for several days. It is important to plant your tree as soon as possible after the holidays. Do not wait until spring. Select a planting site that has will-drained soil, full sun and that is appropriate for the mature tree’s size. Plant your tree in a hole that is the same depth but at least twice and preferably five times wider than the root ball. Be sure not to plant the tree too deeply. Remove synthetic burlap completely since it can cause root girdling. Remove natural burlap from the top of the root ball, to avoid drying out the root ball. Remove containers from container-grown trees and cut and loosen any encircling roots. Remove at least the top portion of wire tree baskets after the root ball is in the planting hole. Fill the hole around the freshly set tree with the loosened, unamended soil from the planting hole. Backfill around the root ball in stages, gently firming in each layer of soil. Water well to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets. Apply 2 or 3 inches of mulch on top of the root ball. It is not necessary to fertilize until spring.
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Gradually introduce your living tree from outside to inside over three or four days via an unheated garage or enclosed porch. A tree that is dormant and exposed to immediate warmth will start to grow. You want to avoid any quick resumption of growth.