7 Fertilizing Tips for Your Potted Christmas Tree

table_of_contents

Potted Christmas trees offer flexibility. You can move them where you’d like, and you can bring them inside when you’d like to start decorating for the holidays. Some trees, like spruces, firs, and pines, need to grow outdoors for most of the year. Others, like Norfolk Island pine, thrive indoors year-round.

No matter what type of Christmas tree you have, you’ll want to follow these fertilizing tips for the best results. Excess fertilizer causes issues for your tree, making it more difficult to sprout new growth the following season. Practice proper cultivation techniques and your tree will reward you with bushy green sprouts.

Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plus Organic Plant Food (4 lbs.)

• Grows larger root mass to help plants establish fast
• Reduces transplant loss
• Promotes bigger blooms
• Microbe enhanced all natural organic fertilizer with no sludges or fillers

View at Epic Gardening

Wait for Active Growth

Potted Christmas trees pull up nutrients as they start growing in spring. Fertilize them in the middle of winter, and they’ll drown in the extra nutrients. Their needles may turn yellow or brown and fall off. Wait to fertilize until you start seeing new growth appear from dormant buds.

This tip applies to both indoor and outdoor potted holiday trees. Dormant trees use little nutrients, and excess amounts are too much to handle. Plants naturally grow as days lengthen and temperatures warm in spring and summer. They then pull up the nutrients they need from the soil. 

It’s also a good idea not to fertilize outdoor potted trees while hard frosts are prevalent. Outdoor specimens need little nutrients until they start actively growing when the snow melts and temperatures warm significantly.

Fertilize as New Growth Appears

Once new growth appears, you’re good to go! It’s best to apply half or quarter doses of fertilizer at this time to avoid shocking your awakening tree. Early spring signals flower development, which you’ll see in the form of male or female flowers on most coniferous species. 

Flowers require nutrients like phosphorus and potassium, meaning it’s a good idea to use an all-purpose organic fertilizer with a balanced amount of nutrients. Apply a half or quarter dose according to the package’s instructions, and add plenty of water. Take care not to apply it near the trunk to prevent the wood from burning.

If you’re transitioning an indoor potted Christmas tree outdoors for transplanting, you can still fertilize the tree while it’s indoors sprouting new growth or flowers. Avoid adding more nutrients until you transition your plant outdoors and move it into its final home.

Apply Slow-Release Fertilizers

Slow-release fertilizers work best for evergreen coniferous trees that grow in cold temperate zones. They drop nutrients slower than quick-release fertilizers like liquid and powder types. Slow-release fertilizers come in pellets or clusters that break apart slowly as water penetrates their outer coating.

You can find organic slow-release fertilizers online and at local plant nurseries—look for ones that have pellets or large clusters instead of fine powders. Some mixes have ideal blends for evergreen conifers, working best on spruces, firs, hemlocks, and similar species.

Without slow-release fertilizer, simply use a quarter or half dose of fertilizer. Apply it once and apply it again after three or four weeks to simulate a slow-release timeline. Christmas trees require nutrients like any other plant, although many evolved to live in forests with varying resources. Less is more when it comes to fertilizing, as you can always add more, but you can’t take it back.

Dilute the Nutrients

Watering your Christmas tree after fertilization helps dilute the nutrients and soak them into the soil. Dry piles of powder or liquid fertilizer can zap tender roots and shock your budding tree. You’ll want to pre-mix liquid fertilizers with water to dilute them. 

You can also add fertilizer when you normally plan on watering your tree, as the water will dilute and seep the nutrients into the soil. Measure an appropriate amount, dump it on the soil surface, then water well so the pile soaks into the dirt. 

If you’re having overfertilization issues, running water through the container helps leach out excessive nutrients. Doing this when the dirt is dry helps avoid roots rotting from soggy soil. Avoid soaking or diluting the soil if it’s already wet, and wait until it dries before adding more moisture.

Fertilize Again in the Summer

After transplanting your tree outdoors, or as your tree grows in a container indoors, it’ll need more fertilizer to survive through the year. Dozens of new leaves, branches, and flowers need more supplies to grow their best, and additional doses of fertilizer ensure they sprout well without any issues.

As flowering finishes and cones or berries develop alongside ample leafy growth, grant the tree an additional supply with a balanced organic fertilizer. Use a half or full dose this time, as your holiday specimen is rapidly growing under the summer sunshine.

You may continue fertilizing once every month or two so long as the Christmas tree doesn’t exhibit signs of overfertilization. Continue on a regular schedule that works well for you and your holiday tree, and you and the tree will be happy for years to come!

Avoid Overfertilizing

Overfertilizing kills more trees than underfertilizing! Always add more with caution, especially if you’re unsure of when you last added fertilizer. It’s harder to remove excess nutrients than it is to add more. 

A soil test kit is one way to know for sure how much sustenance your potting soil holds. Simply gather a sample, package it up, and mail it away. It’ll come back to your mailbox with exact results of how much or little of each nutrient your soil holds.

If excess salts or nutrients build up, the plant may exhibit signs of overfertilization, like leaf drop, dying buds, and a lack of new growth. Plants with moist dirt and dropping needles may be experiencing signs of overfertilization or overwatering. Ensure the soil stays moist and not soggy, and leach out any excess nutrients with ample moisture during a watering day.

Stop for the Winter

Whether bringing your potted tree indoors for the winter or leaving it outdoors, you’ll want to cut back on fertilizing once temperatures drop and hard frosts approach. Let the trees enter their natural dormancy, and cut back on watering as they drink less water during this time. 

If you add fertilizer to a tree during the winter, the excess nutrients will sit in the soil and cause issues for the tender roots growing beneath the surface. Wait to fertilize until temperatures rise and days lengthen in early and mid-spring. Once you see new growth, flower buds, and fresh needles, you’ll know it’s time to grant your holiday tree what it needs.