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Christmas tree going brown

paulgraceukpaulgraceuk Posts: 5
in Problem solving
I’ve read through a few threads on declining Christmas trees but nothing seems to be quite the same problem.

bought the tree two christmases ago. Repotted into the garden in a large cut down barrel - plenty of space. Branches quickly started going brown and it looked a right state this Christmas so didn’t go inside.

this year we have new growth coming but the brown bits are still brown. I’m assuming they are a lost cause and should come off but wanted to check with the experts first!

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Hi @paulgraceuk and welcome 😊 

    I'm afraid that the problem is the container ... although it’s large it’s not large enough for a growing tree ... if you think, there’s as much of a healthy tree below the ground as there is above, the roots of your tree are crammed into that barrel with no space for soil and moisture.  My guess is that it’s totally potbound. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Bone dry in that, and the location is probably very unsuitable too.
    As @Dovefromabove says - the amount of soil in there is nowhere near enough. They need a lot of water, and in something that small, and in sun, you'll struggle to ever keep it hydrated. 
    There's a good reason the west of Scotland has a thriving timber industry.... ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • paulgraceukpaulgraceuk Posts: 5
    Hmmmm so pot about the same diameter as the lowest branches?

    is it best in sun or shade?
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    paulgraceuk said:
    Hmmmm so pot about the same diameter as the lowest branches?

    is it best in sun or shade?
    Don’t forget the depth 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • paulgraceukpaulgraceuk Posts: 5
    Dovefromabove said:
    paulgraceuk said:
    Hmmmm so pot about the same diameter as the lowest branches?

    is it best in sun or shade?
    Don’t forget the depth 
    Yup. Was meaning that diameter and depth to the same ration.

    hmmm this tree ain’t going back inside is it!!!
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I'll be blunt and say what @Dovefromabove and @Fairygirl are hinting at. Getting more than a couple of years out of a potted Christmas tree (in a pot small enough to bring indoors without doing yourself a mischief) is too much to expect. Plant it in the ground if you have room for a big conifer, or ditch it and get a new one next Christmas.
    Here's mine, bought Christmas 2017, done 3 Christmases decorated outside by the front door but ready for getting rid of now. I could put it in a pot but then I would struggle to move it, and I put other plants there for the summer.


    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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