Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kit – Are They Worth It?

Have you ever considered growing your own Christmas tree? We have and that’s why we will have a look at Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kits.

Without a Christmas tree it wouldn’t be Christmas. I have fond memories of walking into the living room as a kid and being engulfed by the smell of a real Christmas tree.

Nowadays, many people opt for plastic trees instead. While they might be practical and won’t lose their needles, I never really liked them. 

But I’m also not keen on buying a cut tree every year, which will have to be thrown away after the festive season.

That’s why I want to look at growing my own and also find out if a Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kit is worth it.

Growing Your Own Christmas Tree From Seed

As an enthusiastic gardener, I like the idea of growing my own Christmas tree. And growing from seed is always my preferred option, because it’s cheaper, and you can ensure you grow a healthy plant.

You can buy a Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kit, which contains not only the seeds but everything else you need.

This is great, not only for beginners but also for seasoned gardeners.

Recommended Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kit

Xmas Tree kit Grow Your own Trees All Included Tree Kit
  • All you need to grow 3 amazing Christmas Trees
  • Replace your Artificial and Cut trees
  • WE ALL NEED TO GROW MORE TREES

This Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kit from 1 More Tree is a great buy. Not only do you get all you need to grow three Nordmann firs, but the company uses all profits from the sale of these kits to plant trees.

I got this kit for a friend as a gift last year for Christmas, and she loved it. Two of the three seeds sprouted, and she is looking forward to decorating her homegrown Christmas tree.

You get three Christmas tree seeds and growing plugs, all compostable and plastic-free, and clear instructions on what to do.

You should consider though, that you have to soak the seeds before you can plant them, which means it can take up to 8 weeks before you can start growing your trees.

But this process is important as it mimics nature. In the wild, animals such as squirrels or birds would eat the seeds. In their stomachs the seeds get activated and once they are excreted and touch soil, they are ready to sprout.

By soaking the seeds beforehand you activate them, which will increase your chances of germination.

Of course, one problem with growing your Christmas tree from seed is that it will take several years until you have a tree big enough to take centre stage during the festive season.

My friend didn’t mind, and her kids are really excited by the prospect of having a real Christmas tree they have grown themselves.

But my husband and I were a bit more impatient…

Get A Christmas Tree In A Pot

Christmas trees in pots

We wanted a real Christmas tree that would bring us the smell of my childhood, but without having a cut one that gets thrown away in the new year.

And while the idea of growing our own from seed did appeal to us, we didn’t want to wait that long.

So we decided to get a potted Christmas tree, which will live on and can be used year after year.

There are a lot of advantages to having a Christmas tree in a container:

  • It can live in your garden for most of the year and be brought in over the festive period to bring Christmas joy
  • No dropped needles, as long as you water it regularly
  • You don’t have to spend money on a new tree every year
  • Christmas trees are low maintenance
  • The smell of a real Christmas tree will add to the festive feeling

You can buy potted fir trees in most garden centres, or you can order your potted Christmas tree online.

YouGarden potted Christmas tree

The YouGarden.com potted Norway Spruce Christmas tree is a small tree that has been grown in the UK.  If cared for well, it will last for several years in a pot, so you can enjoy your living Christmas tree year after year.

Your tree will be delivered straight to your door well potted in a container, ready to be decorated and bring Christmas joy.

It’s a small tree, around 80cm to 110cm tall, but it will grow year after year, as long as it is well cared for.  And in the new year you can put it out in your garden or on your patio or balcony and enjoy it all year round. 

Caring For Your Christmas Tree In A Pot

Unlike with a Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kit, a potted tree does not need much maintenance.

While inside during the festive period, there are just a few things you need to do to keep it happy and healthy:

  • Don’t place it too close to a radiator or other heat source as Christmas trees don’t like it too warm
  • Water it regularly to keep the soil moist, but don’t overwater – moist soil will keep the needles from dropping
  • The plant pot it is in should have holes, so make sure you put it on a tray to keep your floor/carpet dry

As you can see, it’s not difficult at all to keep your living Christmas tree happy indoors. But it will add so much festive joy to your Christmas.

our Christmas tree year 1
Our Christmas tree after we bought it.
Our potted Christmas tree
Our Christmas tree in the second year
Our Christmas tree
Our Christmas tree after three years

After the holidays, place your living Christmas tree in its pot in a sheltered but sunny potion in your garden or on your patio or balcony.

It will happily live outside for the rest of the year until it’s time again to bring it in as the centrepiece of your Christmas celebrations.

When your tree is outside, it won’t need much attention, but here are some tips to keep your tree in tip-top condition:

  • Water it regularly during summer, especially in dry weather – remember that soil in containers will dry out quicker than in a bed
  • Weed the pot regularly to prevent them from taking nutrients and water away from your tree
  • Adding a layer of mulch will keep moisture locked in and release nutrients into the soil as it decomposes
  • Re-pot your Christmas tree every year to give it chance to grow – it doesn’t have to be a much bigger pot, a 2cm to 5cm increase is enough
  • If you find any damaged branches, remove them in late spring or early summer 

Christmas trees are hardy plants that will do well in all seasons, so it will be easy to maintain your tree outdoors.

Our Christmast tree outdoors

When you re-pot your tree, you have to consider the extra weight you will add. Because you want to bring it indoors every Christmas, it has to be light enough to achieve this.

This also means that at some point you won’t be able to re-pot your tree any more as it makes it too heavy.

At this point, you have two options:

  1. Don’t pot it on to a bigger container – take good care of it and see how long it will last. Because trees naturally will expand their root system to be able to grow, being constraint in a container will not keep them happy forever. But with good care it will be able to survive for a few years after you stop re-potting it.
  2. Plant it in your garden – if you are lucky enough to have the space, you can plant your Christmas tree out in your garden. You can still decorate it and use it as an outdoor Christmas tree. Rather than treats for humans, you could hang treats for birds on it, to help them through the winter.

Because we don’t have any space in our garden, we will go for the first option, but we will still have a year or two until we reach this point.

I hope by taking good care of our Christmas tree, we will be able to keep it happy and healthy for many years to come.

Conclusion

Having a living Christmas tree is definitely worth it, not only because it will add to the Christmas feel, but also because it’s better for the environment. 

It means that you don’t have to contribute to cutting down trees, and you don’t support plastic Christmas trees, which will eventually end up in landfill.

Whether it’s better to grow your own using a Grow Your Own Christmas Tree kit or buy a potted tree, depends on your preference.

We are very happy with our potted Christmas tree, but I am planning on growing my own as well, so that when the time comes that our current tree has had enough, we have a new tree that we have grown ourselves.

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