Fall Planting

With the first warm breezes of spring the garden supply centers generally see and enormous  surge of business as gardeners and landscapers rush to purchase fertilizer, now tools, mulch, compost, and trees and plants to get in the ground as soon as the threat of frost even remotely appears to be over. Few people realize it, but spring is not the only season for planting trees and shrubs, in fact most trees and shrubs actually do very well when planted in fall when a little care is exercised. By planting in the fall the new tree or shrub will have plenty of time to establish its root system before the spring growing season begins this is a big bonus for the plant. The fact that trees and shrubs can sometimes be found on sale in the fall is a big plus to the gardener. To successfully plant in fall and have healthy happy plants come spring, a few simple steps should be followed.

1.       DO NOT PRUNE. Pruning serves to stimulate the plant to produce new growth and this should be avoided during the fall and winter months.

2.       DO NOT FERTILIZE. For the same reason as why not to prune. The new plant needs to spend its first winter establishing itself and not devoting energy toward new growth.

3.       DO SELECT AN APPROPRIATE PLANT. Be sure and select a tree or shrub that is rated to do well in the USDA Zone in which it is to be planted.

4.       DO make sure the hole that is dug is at least three times the diameter and around the same depth as the root ball of the plant. This will keep the soil nice and light and allow the roots to spread and all important water to reach the roots. If the root ball is covered in burlap don’t bother removing it, the burlap will rot in short order and allow the roots to spread naturally. If the plant is in a container remove it and carefully loosen the roots since container grown plants have the tendency to become root bound.

5.       DO PLACE THE PLANT in the hole and carefully back fill with native soil, of if the soil is heavy clay be sure and mix in some peat moss to lighten it and allow better water and root penetration.

6.        DO WATER THE PLANT. One of the most important things for the new plant is water. A berm of soil can be built up around the hole to prevent water from running off instead of soaking in. The plant needs to be kept well watered until temperatures begin to cause the ground to freeze.

7.       DO NOT put compost, fertilizer, or rich organic material in the hole this will encourage the roots to grow more horizontally and therefore give the plant a better root base when growing season comes.

8.       DO add a layer or rich organic compost to the surface of the soil around the tree without allowing it to actually touch the trunk of the tree. This will allow the nutrients to leach down into the soil and give the plant a good feeding and head start in spring.

Though spring is the time when most gardeners get out and start planting and working the soil, by following these few steps the careful gardener can get a head start by planting trees and shrubs in fall.