Christmas tree plant

Christmas tree plant

Make your indoor or outdoor space more beautiful with this iconic evergreen Indian Christmas tree plant.

In India, the Christmas tree is known as the cook pine or araucaria Christmas tree. This tree features a relatively short, mostly horizontal trunk surrounded by relatively upright or slightly leaning branches. 

There is something beautiful about branches adorned with horizontal branchlets that look like cords. They will add an air of elegance to your home with their small, green, incurved, pointed, spirally arranged, overlapping leaves.

As the plant matures, the leaves become broader and triangular, with a rough, gray, resinous bark peeling off in papery strips. They look like unusually tall, thin Christmas trees with slender, spire-like crowns.

Christmas tree plant care

Light: It is best to give Christmas tree plants 3-6 hours of natural direct bright light a day preferably in the morning.

Water: Ensure the soil is moist before watering. Use a finger or a plain small stick to check the moisture. If the topsoil (1-2 inches) feels dry, water it. During the summer, water thoroughly and less during the winter and rainy seasons.

Soil: It is important to have well-drained soils, rich in organic content to grow Christmas tree plants.

Fertilizer: Feed organic fertilizer during the main growing season (February-August). Make sure the topsoil is loose before applying fertilizer so the roots can absorb nutrients and moisture. After fertilizer application, apply water.

Growing tips for Christmas tree plant

• Ensure that the plant receives natural indirect bright light.
• Test the moisture of the soil with a finger or small stick. When the topsoil (1-2 inches) feels dry, water it.
• After receiving the plant, do not re-pot for at least 2 weeks.
• Discard damaged or dead plant parts away from plants.
• Neem oil, Eucalyptus oil, or Citrus oil spray can be applied first to deal with insect attacks.

Indian Christmas tree plant benefits

• This ornamental tree is popular for planting in gardens, either as a single tree or as part of an avenue.
• Christmas tree plant purifies the air in your home.
• In landscape gardening, this is a very useful palm.