2015

Christmas tree in a pot – miracle for tomorrow

Finding a genuine Christmas tree is not an easy task. It can turn out to be a real adventure in a forest, spending time with one's family and decorating fir-trees, for example, with carrots and apples for forest animals. Furthermore, a tree in a pot, grown at one of JSC “Latvian State Forests” tree nurseries, will continue to bring joy long after holidays. However, one must stay attentive in order to keep the tree thick longer, and plant it on a field in the spring.

Christmas time

After bringing a tree pot home, the tree should first be kept in a cooler place before moving it to a warm room in order to avoid rapid temperature changes. Meanwhile, the Christmas tree's seat of honor should be in a place as cool as possible – away from heaters or furnace.

An indoors fir-tree should be taken care of – one must make sure that the tree's root system be moist to prevent it from drying. The pot should be placed in a bowl (like flowerpots are placed on saucers or underliners) and watered until the container under the pot starts filling with water.

Before spring

After the holidays, the Christmas tree should be brought outdoors and placed in a shady area away from the scorching sunbeams in winter, and later in spring. Before bringing the tree outdoors at severe temperatures – minus 30 degrees Celsius – first, it should be kept in a cooler place. After bringing it out, the tree with its pot can be safely placed in a heap of snow. If there is no snow, the pot can be placed directly in the ground. Ahead of spring, when the snow has melted away, the tree ought to be watered from time to time.

In the second half of April, when the ground begins to thaw, the tree can be planted, allowing it to grow new roots. The chosen place should be dug up, and the depth of the hole should be the same as the height of the pot. Soil underneath should be harrowed and mixed with water to create mud. Afterwards, the tree is transplanted from pot into ground – the tree must be placed as deep as it grew in the pot. The tree must be carefully taken out from the pot with all the soil, which contains the fir-tree's root system. After placing the tree in the ground, one must make sure that the roots are free, as they should not be bending upwards, however, one must also make sure that the hole is not too deep.

One week after transplantation, the tree must be watered; afterwards it is no longer necessary. Fir-trees grown at LVM tree nurseries can remain in a pot for up to two years, however, in order to allow them to grow magnificent and mighty, their roots require a larger area, therefore, it is recommended to transplant them outdoors.

The “LVM Sēklas un stādi” (LVM Seeds and Seedlings) eco shop at 1 Vaiņodes Street that will remain open until 3 p.m., December 23, offers not only decorations made of natural materials, but also a large collection of fir-trees in pots – from the small and thick Serbian spruce to the popular and large white fir.

Tree from a forest

In case you have decided to visit one of territories owned by JSC “Latvia's State Forests”, LVM senior forest expert Kaspars Riže reminds about prerequisites that should be taken into account when looking for a Christmas tree in a forest. Adventures and well-spent time in a forest guaranteed!