Converting a Christmas Tree to Bonsai

[Gabler]

My family has always cut live Christmas trees rather than erecting artificial trees. My parents sometimes find a root ball tree for their house, decorate it outside on the screened-in porch, and plant it in the ground in January. They now have a couple large, healthy Norway spruce trees in their yard. I was thinking that I could do something similar, but chop the trunk back to a new leader this spring and pot the tree as a bonsai. Has anyone else here tried that? Any words of caution? Photo for reference.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy you Crazy!

My old neighbor wore a mask like that for Halloween!

There are some threads, even a contest I reckon, on converting x-mas trees!

That's a biggun!

Sorce

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Ryan Neil has a good video about it where he turns a stock christmas tree into a bonsai.

A word of caution: spruces here in Europe are usually container grown if they're meant for christmas, and their rootball will be curled up into some kind of mashed potato configuration. Terrible to work with. So check that soil before buying.

 

[leatherback]

spruces here in Europe are usually container grown if they're meant for christmas

lol,
We really need to swap locations as wee seem to frequent very different stores

..

Went out and visited a number of shops selling christmasjunk today. And.. did not find a single tree. All of them have been pulled out of the ground and pushed into a pot to sell over christmas. All of them having the warning that these are not grown to be planted in the garden and there is no guarantees on survival. Considering how most of them are standing in a sheet of dry needles gives me a good indication of survival chances of the bigger trees.

 

[Gabler]

So in other words, carefully inspect the material before buying?

 

[leatherback]

So in other words, carefully inspect the material before buying?

Yeah. on the one hand, a tree just pulled from the ground for christmas and tossed in a pot has all the problems a tractor-pulled stump has with regards to re-rooting. On the other hand, a tree grown ni a post has the challenges that come with pot-grown and up-potted container grown trees of nested birdsnest roots.

 

[PaulH]

My Deodar cedar began as a Christmas tree.

Ten Year Club

@Smoke , one for Al, from 1991 Seagrape found much as is. Pot is K's first pinch pot fired in his new kiln. Still going strong today and good friends with the sushi table

www.bonsainut.com