The beautiful Christmas tree is one of the symbols of Christmas, which complements coziness and creates a festive mood. In recent years, there has been a trend to buy live plants, which are planted in the garden after the winter holidays. Suitable for this purpose are those representatives of the Pine family (Pinaceae), which can adapt to our climatic conditions:
Fir (Abies), Spruce (Picea), Pine (Pinus), and Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga douglasii).
The Bulgarian market also offers decorative varieties - dwarfs, which are suitable for container growing:
Dwarf white fir (Abies balsamea Hudsonia) – a slow-growing coniferous species that reaches only 60 cm in height in 10 years. It has a compact crown and fragrant needles. Unpretentious in terms of soil conditions - it also grows on calcareous soils.
Korean fir (Abies koreana) - after the tenth year reaches a height of up to 1.80 m. The needles have a rich dark green color on the upper side, and are white underneath. The cones are pink-purple and complement the rich decorativeness of the plant.
Arizona fir (Abies arizonica compacta) - in 10 years it grows to 60 cm, and the maximum height it reaches is 2.10 m. Its decorativeness is due to the dense conical crown, gray-blue needles and soft corky bark.
Spruce Conica (Picea glauca Conica) – a slow-growing species with a maximum height of 3 m and a crown diameter of 1 m. The skeletal branches form a dense conical crown. The needles are deep green and small.
Dwarf pine (Pinus mugo Gnom) - a slow-growing, evergreen plant with a maximum height of 2.5 m. 
Its high decorativeness is due to the deep green needles collected in bundles. The variety is unpretentious to soil conditions. Tolerates low temperatures up to -40ºС.
The choice of the specific species is based on the place where the plant will be planted after the winter holidays. Most often, the idea comes to us after we see live trees, right before Christmas. Then mostly species that should be planted in the garden are offered. The choice of coniferous dwarf should be made at the beginning of the year: no later than mid-March or in autumn. This is the best time to transplant into a suitable container.
Regardless of the type of plant, we must be guided by some rules when choosing. First, in order of importance, is the problem with the condition of the conifer's root system. It must be taken into account that in order to fit in the container, the roots are severely pruned, and in case the main root is seriously affected, there is a risk of the plant drying out. It is increasingly common to offer plants whose root ball is wrapped in netting or netting. Their price is lower, but the risk of breaking the integrity of the bale and injuring the roots is high. Before choosing the particular plant, a visual check is made for the condition of the roots, as far as possible. The root ball must be moist and intact, and the roots must be healthy and fresh. A healthy tree has no damage to the stem, falling needles, bare branches and looks good. Tall plants in small containers are the worst possible choice. An indisputable advantage of younger and smaller trees is their better adaptation to the new conditions in which we place them. The reputation of the merchant from whom we make the purchase is also important.
If the plant is suitable for container growing and was purchased in early spring or autumn, it is immediately transplanted into a sufficiently large container. The soil mixture consists of peat and an enriched substrate with an acid reaction Ph 5.7-6.7. A drainage layer should be placed at the bottom of the pot, which will protect the tree from waterlogging. The removal of the plant from the container must be done very carefully, without injuring the roots. The soil is compacted and watered abundantly. Mulching is recommended to conserve soil moisture. The trees bought just before the holidays are planted only in the spring.
Before being brought into the home and decorated, the live Christmas tree must adapt to the higher room temperatures. In order for it to look fresh, it needs to stay in a cooler room for a few days, as the shock change in temperatures can cause the needles to fall off and greatly deteriorate the decorativeness.
It must be placed away from heating appliances, and the soil must be kept constantly moist. When decorating, clutter with heavy decorations and numerous lights should be avoided. Another important condition is that the lights should not be constantly on.
Unfavorable conditions and increased evaporation also cause needles to drop and twigs to become bare. The stay of the live Christmas tree in the warm room should not exceed 2-3 weeks. The shorter it is, the lower the risk of breaking the resting state. The appearance of fresh tips on the branches are proof of the "awakening" of the tree. In this case, its exposure to low temperatures will cause frostbite, and this necessitates the provision of better conditions for its successful wintering. After the holidays, it is moved to a cooler room and only then to an unheated room. If we do not have a suitable place for it to stay until spring, we can take it out to the yard or balcony, but the place must be protected from the wind. In this case, effective measures to protect against low temperatures must be provided. In the spring, conifers intended for the garden are planted in a suitable place. To do this, dig a hole twice the size of the container or root ball. A part of the soil mixture is poured on the bottom (it has the same composition as for coniferous dwarfs). Release from the container or bale wrapper is done carefully and immediately before planting, so as not to break and injure the roots. The free space is filled with soil substrate, compacted and watered abundantly. Applying mulch is a must. The soil is kept constantly moist without allowing waterlogging. When drying, the needles turn brown and gradually fall off. In these cases, bare branches are removed, and the plant is watered abundantly. If the problem is not resolved, the intervention of a specialist is necessary, since symptoms of an infectious disease are present. Coniferous species are fed after the first year, at the end of March and in June, with a complex fertilizer for coniferous plants.
