The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

The real difference is the size, root stock and evidently the weight. The reason why these differ is due to the age of the tree.

Cut trees, that are around 5ft plus are on average around 3-4 years old, where as potted trees are around a year old, and even at that early age, the root stock required to keep the tree alive is quite substantial.

That’s to say – that a bigger tree, means a much bigger root stock.

What to expect

Potted trees, usually come in a bag, and the main reason for this is because they’ve been grown in a pot, especially equipped to let roots grow through. This means the plant will need repotting into something more substantial.

Roots are quite important, so I chose to cut the pot off with a stanley knife, being sure to not slice off any of the roots.

This was actually quit fiddly, because the pot is quite thick, and you’re navigating around the holes and roots of the pot, but I got there in the end.

Exposing the roots of any tree is always a bit of risky business, but it’s all done with the best intentions.

I shook off any excess earth and I used this excess soil, which was of top soil consistency, with some multipurpose compost and potted the tree in a pot that was of a similar size.

There wasn’t a slightly bigger pot available, but in the new year I’ll most likely seek one out with a view to get it repotted once it’s more established – assuming that it survives! I’ve never grown one before. 🙂

As with potting any new plant, I followed the rule of filling the pot with compost until it wouldn’t take anymore, patting it down and watering it in.

The finished product looks quite smart and is currently living outside with some outdoor lights – which is what I would recommend if you’re conscious of making a mess in the house. If that’s not a bother, then you would need some sort of dish to sit the tree in as it would need regular watering.

These sorts of Christmas trees are an actually great feature for any space in my opinion and it’s really great to look out and see the lights flickering in the dark.

If you can, I would recommend a potted Christmas tree, they look and smell great and after festivities have passed, you’ve gained a tree to admire all year round.

Have you grown a potted Christmas tree before? Did it survive? I’d love to know how it went 🙂