4 Facts About growing Memorial Trees From Human Ashes

When a loved one passes away, the conventional funeral is not the only way to preserve them and to honor their life. You can choose cremation for your loved one instead. This is the best option especially if the person who passed away expressed interest in alternatives to a traditional burial.

If the person in question is to be cremated though, you may be wondering what to do with their ashes. While some families choose to scatter the ashes of their loved ones or to simply keep them at home in a decorative urn, you can further honor your family member’s memory by putting their ashes to good use. Your loved one can live on by being buried as a tree. That said, planting and caring for memorial trees is not as straightforward as growing typical trees. Before you plant a tree in their memory, consider the following facts so you can make the most of your experience.

1. Human Ashes Are Toxic To Plants

Human ashes have a high PH balance. Their PH level is equal to that of chlorine. Therefore, untreated human ashes will burn and dry out any surrounding plants.

In order to plant a tree around a scattering of your loved one’s ashes, their acidity level needs to be neutralized first. Before you plant your tree, blend your soil with the ashes and then add soil amends or supplements to the mixture. This balances the PH scale and fortifies the soil, making it nutrient-rich and beneficial to plant life.

2. Memorial Trees Make for a Low-Cost Funeral

A funeral with a traditional burial can cost upward from 10 thousand dollars in this day. From paying the funeral home to prepare and preserve your loved one’s body to purchasing a decent coffin to paying for a burial ceremony, the bills can multiply quickly.

On the other hand, cremation is one of the most economical ways to reduce and preserve your loved ones remains. It also grants you the freedom to conduct an outdoor memorial service without having to rent a venue or reserve a church. Furthermore, if you opt for your loved one to be buried as a living tree, this eliminates the need for a coffin.

3. Human Ash Trees Can Be Easily Mismanaged

Unfortunately, while caring for your memorial tree with the best of intension’s, you can easily damage it if you are not well informed on how to do so properly. For instance, you can overwater and ultimately drown a human ash memorial tree if you are not careful. Do not water it often, because it’s easier to help a memorial tree that lacks water than it is to bring a drowning tree back to good health.

Also, though you may be tempted to preserve and protect your loved one’s remains by installing a tree guard, think twice about doing so. Tree guards may prevent your memorial tree from being consumed by animals, but they can also constrict the tree’s limbs and prevent it from developing a strong trunk. If a tree is surrounded by a tree guard, it does not have the space or the amount of oxygen necessary for it to develop properly.

4. Human Ash Trees Should Be Planted In Nature

As you plan to honor your loved one, you may consider planting their tree close to your home. You might even be tempted to plant it in your own backyard. However, some of the  best memorial trees  are planted in a neutral location, surrounded by nature’s beauty and available to your family at all times.

The problem with burying your loved one in the form of a living tree on your property is you might sell your home in the future. Once the home is no longer yours, you do not have access to that tree. In fact, you have no right to that tree whatsoever. It can be removed at the new owner’s discretion. At the very least, you cannot visit or tend to it as you might if the tree was somewhere neutral and public like the wilderness.

A tree In their Memory

Now that you know what it takes to grow a tree in honor of your loved one, you can choose to honor their existence in an eco-friendly manner. Burying them in a tree ensures a beautiful, memorable and peaceful reunion with nature. The best part is that though it’s in tree form, your loved one still gets to live on.