Keeping potted trees thriving indoors in winter

If you're growing a tree indoors or you've brought one inside for the winter, these 7 tips will help keep it thriving until spring:

1 Keep the soil consistently lightly moist. Fill a container with water and allow it to sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours before using.

 2 Situate pots near a bright, sunny window, away from heating vents, drafts and radiators. For most trees a western or southern exposure is best.

3 Keep the room temperature between 68 and 75 degrees. Unless outside temperatures are below freezing, open a window for a few minutes a day to allow fresh air to circulate.

4 Run a humidifier or set the pot in a tray filled with pebbles and water to cover the pebbles.

5 Find a place for your tree and leave it there. Many, when moved, will drop leaves or become otherwise stressed.

6 Most container-grown trees will benefit from being allowed to grow a little pot-bound, so do not replant into a larger container annually as you would other houseplants. Repotting every two years will keep trees from growing too big.

7 Apply ordinary houseplant fertilizer, diluted to half the strength recommended on the label, with every second watering from early spring until fall to all trees except citrus, which should be fertilized monthly year-round.