Several types of insects are fond of over-wintering in conifers, including certain types of aphids, spider mites, sow bugs, beetles, earwigs, praying mantids, spiders, and even earthworms. They don't normally cause any damage (e.g. spread to your houseplants), because let's face it, the interior of your house isn't exactly the coniferous forest habitat they need to survive. Most will die after thawing out and waking up, and the remaining bugs are usually nothing more than a nuisance.
According to the North Carolina State University Christmas Tree website, the chances of you buying a buggy trees is actually rare. In fact, only about one tree in 100,000 will have any of the above bugs in it when you buy it. The odds are best when temperatures are mild around the time the trees are harvested. Despite the fact that buggy trees are a relatively rare occurrence, it does happen.
This page contains the following solutions.
A living Christmas tree is ecological, practical and saves you money year after year. You can enjoy it year round on your balcony or in your garden.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Hardiness Zone: 6a
Thanks,
Christi from Paducah, KY
The care of your mini Christmas tree depends on what type of tree it is. Most traditional evergreens grown and sold as potted Christmas trees have about a 50/50 chance of surviving, and that is if they are transplanted outdoors after only 7-10 days spent indoors. The exception to this is the Norfolk Pine, which is often kept indoors as a houseplant after the holidays. For more information on caring for a Norfolk, take a look at this post www.thriftyfun.com/tf47893507.tip.html
If your mini Christmas tree is a traditional evergreen, plan on planting it outside as soon as temperatures warm up. In the meantime, try to keep the roots moist (not wet) to prevent them from drying out. Keep your tree in a bright, cool room out of the way of drafts. Before moving outside permanently, let it adjust to conditions outdoors by setting it outside for a few hours each day, gradually increasing the amount of time it spends outside. Make sure you plant it in well-drained soil. Evergreens don't generally like wet feet.
Here is some help from the thriftynews people themselves. ! <smile.> Hope this helps you.
www.thriftyfun.com/
You might want to find out what kind of a conifer it is. My husband and I got a mini Christmas tree ten years ago and it is now 9 feet tall and 15 feet wide ...
Hello, gardening gurus, I have a 1.5 m potted Christmas tree which I keep under my front veranda. It does not get direct rain, so I water it weekly and it does not get direct sunlight, but gets strong filtered light and usually gets daytime temperature in Brisbane between 20-35c. Although the plant has been doing well in the past 18 months, it has recently started going brown along the central trunk and partway at the branches, all of the tips and new growth is healthy. Can you suggest what is causing the brown/discoloration?
By Therese
