How anyone anywhere can have a convenient
potted and planted Christmas tree...
Anyone anywhere can buy a potted Christmas tree and have it planted by someone else, not in your backyard. Each year, you can bring a potted Christmas tree into your home and have it planted after the holidays by your local parks department or a local landscaper. You can give your tree, or sell it, to someone in your town who is in the market for an inexpensive or free tree. You can have a potted tree every year that grows old in your local area.
We are the original and only such service in the world. There are two other similar services. One is in San Francisco, fuf.net, they offer non-evergreenss. The other is in San Diego, adoptachristmastree.com, their prices are around twice what we charge. If you'd like to run your own living Christmas tree business in your town scroll down to see franchise info.
Just take three or four fun pioneering minutes to read this section. Basically you'd buy an evergreen tree with roots, then drop it off to your local parks department to get planted. (If you want to plant your tree on your property, TOLCTC provides planting recommendations here.)
Read our care recommendations to learn if a potted tree is for you.
Source your tree. Call around to plant nurseries. Plant nurseries in the city are retail, in the country they are wholesale. Ask for the manager to find out about price, and size of the rootball. Don't be shy to ask for a discount or negotiated rate. The lowest you will probably find is about $40 for a 5' to 6' tree. The rootball should be between 16 and 20 inches in diameter. You will want to ask for a "B&B or container", (the root area is called Balled in Burlap- B&B, or in a plastic pot- container.) You will want an evergreen tree (conifer), the size is up to you. Due to the weight of the tree with the roots, you may want a 5 foot tree.
Find a planter for your tree. Call parks departments, landscapers, property managers, developers, golf courses, schools, churches, or run a free online ad (craigslist) or free newspaper classified ad to sell your tree or give it away. You may be able to find a planter who will buy your tree, try $10. If not, ask them about donating your potted Christmas tree to them. They might pick it up, or you'd drop it off to them.
Purchase and take your tree home. Once you purchase your tree, there are a few ways we suggest transporting it. We recommend standing it up in the trunk of a car, it sticks out the trunk, tie trunk down with a short string or rope. Laying it down in a pickup truck, hatchback or van; spreads the needles around and makes you lean and reach, the tree must be prevented from rolling so it doesn't spill dirt.
Set it up. Make sure you have help during the unloading process. The roots make 7 foot trees weigh up to 180 pounds. Another helpful hint is to wrap an old bath towel wrapped around the pot as you lift it from the car. Keep the tree horizontal when moving it.
Let it grow. After the holidays, the planter you have arranged will either pick up your tree if you give it to them or you can deliver it to your planter and they might pay up to $20 for it. They'll plant your tree to grow old. You can visit it if you know exactly where it is.
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