Cut Tree or Pot Grown?
Cut tree or pot grown? Which should you choose?
The traditional Christmas tree choice has always been a cut tree, sliced off at the base and jammed in a stand for Christmas, only to face the tip come January, is their an alternative if you want a real tree? Yes, but it's not for everyone.
Here at Lay of the Land we have a large selection of 'pot grown' Christmas trees. Although more expensive than their cut brethren, they should survive happily through Christmas and for many years to come, provided they are looked after and re-potted as required.
You'll want to consider a few things if your considering buying 'pot grown':
- If you buy the biggest pot grown tree you can fit in your house this year, it won't fit next year, so buy smaller so you have a few years of enjoyment.
- Do you have somewhere to plant it? ideally you would keep your pot grown tree in a pot for a number of years and then plant it out in the garden for many more years of enjoyment.
- You can always cut it down. After a few years you could cut the tree out of its pot so it fits in the house and use it for one last outing as a cut tree.
- If you can keep a pot grown tree for a few years or more it's likely to be the most cost effective option in the long term.
Some Christmas trees are sold as 'potted'. These trees are not grown in a pot but grown in the ground and transplanted to a pot. Trees in the ground grow quicker, so will be cheaper. Potted trees may survive beyond Christmas, but it's unlikely, and should only be considered a way of keeping healthier tree longer, for example your a business that keep the tree up longer, or you prefer a variety that drops lots of needles.
As mentioned above, trees gown in the ground grow quicker, so a cut tree will have grown more quickly and will therefore be cheaper, if you only want a tree for one year, buy cut, you can avoid too many dropped needles by opting for a tree like the Nordmann Fir, which doesn't loose its needles like more traditional varieties.
Go for cut if:
- You don't have space to house a pot grown tree all year in your garden.
- You can't bear the thought of having a smaller Christmas tree!