ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

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contact Donna Reynolds, Extension Assistant Editor

CONTAINER OR BALLED AND BURLAPPED CHRISTMAS TREES NICE ALTERNATIVE TO CUT TREES

AUBURN, DEC. 11---Even though Christmas trees are an agricultural crop like corn or cotton, some people object to cutting the trees. Most cities have recycling programs, which turn the trees into mulch for the communities, or they are distributed for fish and wildlife habitats. It is an environmentally conscious crop.

Artificial trees offer an option to some elderly people or for commercial window decorations but they are not for the environmentally conscious. As they age and become dingy and bent, their destination is the landfill where plastic components do not deteriorate.

Balled and burlapped (B&B) trees are a great alternative to cut trees or artificial tree. They are dug from the field with a portion of their roots still encased in a soil ball covered by burlap or some other material. You can purchase container trees which are lightweight, clean and 100 percent of the roots are saved for better transplant success in your garden after Christmas.

B&B tree species not suitable to our area are firs or spruces.

Some nurseries and Christmas tree farms now offer various sizes of containers with Leyland Cypress, Arizona Cypress, Deodar Cedar, Japanese White Cedar and various hollies for use as live Christmas trees. All these plants can be transplanted to the landscape and are beautiful plants for the garden.

A survey done at Auburn University found consumers enjoyed this option, especially the Leyland Cypress (The Southern Christmas Tree) and several hollies. Nellie R. Stevens holly is a tough and beautiful landscape plant with bright glossy leaves and plentiful red berries. It makes a nice 15- to 20-foot screen plant or specimen plant in the garden. If you use this plant, get some leaf gloss from your garden center and spray the leaves to get an even greater shine.

Leyland Cypress is one our fastest growing conifers and is often used as a screen plant in the garden. The tree grows about 3 feet a year and can reach heights up to 100 feet. They can be pruned to maintain a certain height for a number of years.

Using container plants can open up many alternatives for being original. Some plants will drop their leaves in heat and low light conditions but others like the ones mentioned above will last 2 to 3 weeks in the house and transplant easily to the garden.

Place the container in a plastic garbage bag and keep it watered. As with all Christmas trees, keep them away from heat vents and hot appliances that cause them to dry out faster.

Buying a container tree will give you a plant you will enjoy for many years. Many people continue to decorate the trees after they have planted them in the yard.