Hi Hils and welcome to GoY. If the tap root has been cut it is unlikely to survive and having been in your dining room for such a long time will not have helped. Do you have a frost free greenhouse or potting shed you could put it into?

I wouldn't give up on it quite yet, Hils, Christmas tree growers here "trim" the tap roots and sell the trees potted up, and our last two have been put out in the garden and are still alive. How big a pot is it in? I have to say, If the root itself is actually sticking out of the pot, it doesn't sound too good. If you could pot it on into a much bigger pot and maybe put it in a completely unheated room (spare bedroom? Porch?) for a few days and then out into a cold greenhouse as Moon Grower says, before planting it outside, you could be lucky. We planted ours straight out in the garden after New Year, and despite really, really low temperatures since, it still looks (it may be lying!) good and healthy, even under a thick layer of snow. Good Luck and Welcome to GoY. Let us know how you get on.

I would plant it out now - they are hardy trees and survive to -30C. The heat of your house will not be good for it. It is still mild out.

hi, thanks to all. It's in my dining room as it's the coolest place in the flat (although the whole flat is a bit chilly). I don't have access to a greenhouse or potting shed as I live in a flat with a very small garden 6m x 6m. The pot is small for the size of the tree - to be honest I don't hold out a lot of hope, but thought I would keep it inside until the end of Feb/beginning of March to avoid really cold snaps and then put it outside and feed loads? How long would it take to acclimatise do you think?

I do not think that it needs to acclimatise. The weather is mild and they prefer cold conditions. Keep it well watered and it should be fine, add some bonemeal in spring.

Agree get it outdoors now! And cross your fingers... you will not know for months if being in a heated environment has actually killed the tree. Given your garden is as small as it is you may want to consider not planting in any case... this will grow into a huge tree.