The debate between fake and fresh has inevitably moved back to live versus cut. In our environmentally conscious world, the decision to disrupt the life of a maturing tree for a few weeks of decoration is being questioned. A surprising number of families consider living trees, but turn them down for the "fresh" cut variety.

Many people feel that a living tree will be significantly more expensive, or harder to take care of than a cut tree. A quick call to the Earl May nursery confirmed this is not the case. There are differences, however, whether you decide to plant your tree after the holidays, or keep it in the container for the following year.

Container Keepers

Melissa Murray, a nursery worker for Earl May, explained that for container gardeners, choosing a tree early is essential. "There might not be a good selection in December," she explained, leading me to the greenhouse. Colorado Blue Spruce are the healthiest variety for holiday trees in the middle states, however, this changes by region.

Lance Walheim, author and master gardener, suggested beginning with a five-gallon container. Consequently a five-foot tree will weigh around 100 lbs, so the right pot is essential. "Keep it as manageable as possible," says Walheim. Good drainage and mobility are especially important to a trees container. However, Walheim says, forget about appearance. Most containers end up covered with tree skirts, or paper wraps, and hopefully presents.

Moving your tree to the right pot may take assistance. Walheim says the most important thing is using a quality soil, such as Bayer 3-in-1 Multipurpose Potting Soil. This has a fertilizer that lasts 9 months, and helps to prevent overwatering and insect problems. Unfortunately bringing your tree indoors can introduce problems with mites.

After moving the tree into it's new home, water it thoroughly. Then let it get accustomed to the outside climate. This is the reason choosing a tree from a local nursery, that will flourish in your area, is necessary.

Three or four days before your celebration, place your evergreen in a semi-protected spot. This can be in a shed or garage, or gently covered with a tarp. Families in warmer regions can keep their tree inside for up to two weeks, while those in colder climates should limit themselves to two or three days. Give your evergreen a chance to cool generally just as it was allowed to warm up over a few days.

While indoors, keep your container tree lightly moist. Major sources of heat such as heating ducts, fireplaces, and hot overhead lights should be avoided, although most decorative lights for use indoors are cool enough to drape on your evergreen. Boughs can also be adorned with bows, ribbons and ornaments.

To keep your tree from coming out of dormancy, it is also a good idea to keep away from warm or cool drafts in your home. Some container gardeners have had luck watering with ice, and have extended their indoor time by two days or more. Unfortunately, if your tree buds it may die when returned outdoors.

Perfect Planters

For those without the room for keeping a tree, or who plan on planting their holiday evergreen, preparation begins early as well. While these trees wont need to be delivered until just before celebrations, late summer and fall is a good time to find an organization that accepts evergreen donations, or to dig a hole for planting.

Upon delivery, water the root ball of the evergreen completely to prevent it from cracking. As mentioned earlier, an easy way to move the tree is to roll it along the ball. Once indoors any bucket that holds the root ball and offers drainage is sufficient. The tree should only be indoors a few days before being planted or donated. Just as a container tree, a few days in a moderately cool shelter before and after being inside helps to keep an evergreen healthy.

Whether you intend on keeping your tree in it's container, or moving it to the ground after the holidays, Fall is the perfect time to go evergreen hunting with your family, to ready the yard, or find a service organization in need of trees. Living trees are no more expensive, or difficult to care for than the cut or crafted variety. Most importantly, a living decoration brings the smell, look and feel to the holidays, without contributing to environmental problems.

Hilary Evans lives in Iowa with her husband, Dennis Ferrand, and their three small children. She has written for several regional publications, writes "Regional Reviews" for The Busy Freelancer newsletter for writers, and publishes newsletters for families across the nation. You can reach Hilary at hilie_e@yahoo.com.