Planting Live Christmas Trees

Each year, 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America, and many people like to use live trees which can be planted. You can buy one at a local Christmas Tree Farm. Here are some tips for a successful planting:

  1. Limit the amount of time your tree is indoors — 7-10 days is ideal. Daily watering is necessary to keeping your tree healthy.
  2. Move your tree to a sheltered outdoor space to allow your tree to acclimate back to the cold. Continue watering it daily. Choose an open, sunny planting spot. Research the type of tree you have and its growth potential.
  3. Dig the hole as early as possible in the season. If you’ve waited too long to dig and the ground is already frozen, try pouring boiling water onto the spot and then digging. Dig wide but not deep. Using a shovel, dig a hole twice as wide as the size of the root ball to give the roots a chance to spread. But don’t go any deeper than the height of the root ball.
  4. Remove root ball coverings. Place the tree in the hole. Fill the hole back in. Tamp the soil gently, but don’t pack it in tightly. Stake your tree to keep it upright.
  5. Water the newly planted tree. You do not need to use any sort of fertilizer – just plain water will do.
  6. Mulch around the tree. Add a couple inches of mulch around the base of the tree as an insulating layer. Do not allow mulch to touch the actual tree trunk.
  7. Monitor soil moisture. If your winter conditions are dry, occasionally water the tree to keep moisture near the roots.

All About Trees Class

EXCITING NEWS! Watch THIS VIDEO to find out about the ALL ABOUT TREES CLASS! On August 8, 2019, Beth Waller interviewed several Front Royal / Warren County Tree Stewards during a work session. Beth Waller interviews for the "What Matters" feature of the Royal Examiner.

All About Trees Class is closed for 2019. Next year's class begins on September 8, 2020. Registration forms will be available here early Spring 2020.
 

We love Trees!

Trees shelter us, feed us, clean our air and provide shade. They are a source of recreation and inspiration. The numerous shapes of trees, leaves and seeds amaze us. The immense height or girth can boggle the mind. Colors of leaves in the fall are the creative juice for artists, photographers and poets. They are beautiful and they improve the quality of our lives.

Do you have a tree question? If so, you have come to the right place.

  • Are you trying to find the right tree to plant in a special location?
  • Want to know the proper way to prune your trees?
  • Does your tree have a problem or disease? Invasive vines?
  • Mulching is important but how wide and how deep?
  • When to water and how much?
  • And...should I top my tree? (Definitely not.)

 

Congratulations!  Front Royal Warren County Tree Stewards Celebrate 20th Anniversary with a 20-Tree Planting 

You have found our website and we hope that you will also find the answer to some of your questions. There are sections on tree care, threats to trees and the benefits of trees. If you need more, we encourage you to take the "All About Trees" class that is offered every Fall or contact us and a Tree Steward will do their best to answer your questions.

Ready for a walk? Check out the Happy Creek Arboretum which is right off Main Street to find and identify over 30 trees at various stages of maturity. The Arboretum is also part of a larger loop called the Royal Shenandoah Greenway, sections of which are already completed, including a path along the Shenandoah River through Eastham Park. Maybe you will catch a glimpse of Stewart!

If you live here in the Shenandoah, trees are part of our daily life and we encourage you to learn more, to protect them, and to get out and enjoy. If you don't live here then come and visit, you will be awestruck by the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. We guarantee you will love our trees too!

Front Royal/Warren County
Tree Stewards and Stewart

Front Royal Celebrated 20 years as a qualified member of Tree City USA!

Curious about how much you already know about trees?

Take our "Ask Stewart Quiz" just for fun.