Sarah Dale wrote:

On Mon, 16 Dec 2002 10:48:40 +0000, Paul D.Smith wrote:

Pot grown tree, about 5ft to very top, in a room at 18C. How much water
should I give it and how often in the hope it might see out the holiday
season and get "planted out"?

Paul,

At LEAST one pint a day should keep it going, preferably 2 pints. Make
sure you have it in a "saucer" to catch any overflow, and to help it soak
up from the bottom. The more drink an Xmas tree has (without being
waterlogged), the more it will keep its needles, and the better it will
look.

NB - water straight out of the tap is fine for your Xmas tree.


We sell many live trees for the Christmas holidays at my nursery and we
recommend watering them via the ice method: unmold a tray of ice cubes from
your freezer onto the top of the pot twice a day. The ice cubes melt down
moderately, allowing the water to penetrate into the root ball without
saturating or overflow. And they help to keep the roots cool! Be sure to keep
your live tree in the house for a minimal period of time - 7-10 days maximum
is recommended to keep trees in good health - and keep it away from sources of
heat. Transition it back to outdoors by placing it in a somewhat protected
area for a couple of days before it resumes its place in the elements, either
in the ground or in a suitably sized pot.

pam - gardengal