The tradition of bringing pine trees into homes, and decorating them for Christmas can be traced to 16th century Germany, and the Christmas tree has played a nostalgic part in our holiday season ever since.\u00a0 San Diego has ties to Christmas tree history by having the first electrically lit outdoor Christmas tree in 1904 at the Hotel Del Coronado.
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\nLiving Christmas trees may not be the easiest choice, but they have been gaining in popularity, mostly due to concern for our environment.\u00a0 After the holidays, living trees can be planted in the landscape where they can become a cherished reminder of a special Christmas past.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0
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\nIf you are considering a live tree, remember that the “cute” little Christmas tree will become a very large specimen in the future.\u00a0 Pine trees have dense root structures and careful consideration should be taken before planting them in your yard. \u00a0If you do not have room in your yard, think of a place where you can donate your tree.
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\nCoastal Redwood or Sequoia:\u00a0 These trees are native to Southern Oregon and California.\u00a0 They are among the tallest trees in the world and can reach heights of over 300 feet, with trunks 75 to 90 feet in circumference.\u00a0 I purchased one of these trees several years ago, and it now resides atop Mount Palomar, thriving on a friend’s ranch.\u00a0 We gave the tree as a gift after the area was ravaged by a devastating fire.\u00a0 Aleppo Pine: \u00a0This particular pine thrives along the coast and is a native of the Mediterranean.\u00a0 It can grow to heights of 60 feet. Monterey Pine: \u00a0A Southern California native, the Monterey can grow up to 60 feet, thrives at the seaside, and has attractive, bright green needles.\u00a0 Italian Stone Pine:\u00a0 Another Mediterranean native, this tree has an asymmetrical umbrella-like head, and can reach heights of up to 60 feet. These trees are available in sizes ranging from 2 gallons up to 15 gallons. \u00a0
\nYour potted tree should remain indoors for no longer than two weeks.\u00a0 It should be watered thoroughly before you bring it inside and the soil should be kept moist.\u00a0 Take care to place the pot on top of a plastic pot liner, to protect your flooring.\u00a0 Position the tree away from direct sunlight and your heat source.\u00a0 It is recommended that you use low-heat lights and keep the decorations to a minimum.
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\nPine trees can be kept in pots but should be transplanted every spring into larger containers, filled with fresh organic (acid-based) soil.\u00a0 Before transplanting, they may be “root-pruned” by cutting vertically through the horizontal circulating root at the base of the root structure. This technique will help to keep their size to a minimum.\u00a0 Feed them periodically with a mild fertilizer, such as fish emulsion or a kelp based fertilizer.
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\nIf you have limited space, other small ornamental choices include; Ivy and rosemary that have been formed into “cone” shaped topiaries.\u00a0 Different varieties of evergreens are also available in pots as small as 6 inches.\u00a0 Display these living “trees” in interesting containers for a festive holiday touch.\u00a0 \u00a0
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\nHave a wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year! \u00a0
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The tradition of bringing pine trees into homes, and decorating them for Christmas can be traced to 16th century Germany, and the Christmas tree has played a nostalgic part in our holiday season ever since.\u00a0 San Diego has ties to Christmas tree history by having the first electrically lit outdoor Christmas tree in 1904 at […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":272742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11560","_seopress_titles_title":"From my garden - living Christmas trees","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11560],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-272741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-la-jolla-village-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}