Shorter days and longer nights mean it’s the perfect time to plan for next spring. Trees, especially, thrive when put into the ground in the fall.
Now is the time to plant all those vibrant fall foliage trees for your landscape designs.
Cooler fall air makes it easier for newly transplanted trees to focus on the vital task of expanding their root systems. Higher rainfalls and stunted top growth allow trees to establish themselves properly prior to the spring growing season.
Trees best planted in the fall include the Crabapple, Catalpa, Hackberry, Elm, Maple, Pine, Spruce, Sycamore, Alder, and Ash.
The Autumn Blaze Red Maple Tree featured in the photo is a fast growing tree that has green leaves in spring and summer then vibrant fall foliage in Autumn.
These trees tend to tolerate a variety of soil conditions and adapt easily to diminishing hours of sunlight. These are all considered medium to fast growers. Some trees, however, including Hemlock, Magnolia, and Bald Cypress, are slow to mature and necessitate planting earlier in the year. Spring planting gives these trees the time required to take root prior to the onset of winter.
Most deciduous trees and shrubs actually perform better in perpetuity if given the opportunity to settle into the ground when energy can be focused on expanding a solid foundation. When planted in the spring, trees expend most of their resources collecting sunlight for budding blooms.
According to Tammy Sons from Tree Nursery Co, bare-leaved trees are preferable over those with a developed canopy for fall planting. Since trees lose moisture through their leaves, planting in full bloom could take water from the developing root system. Without proper hydration, they might live but, a dwarfed root system likely won’t encourage a suitable intake of nutrients to sustain normal long-term growth.
Fall planting season throughout most of the United States is from late August through early November. Trees planted prior to this timeframe are prone to heat stress and those grounded too late in the year may not have enough time to properly establish their root system prior to dormancy. One of the biggest things to remember, Sons explains, is that autumn-planted saplings need adequate mulching in order to retain a proper moisture balance for their ever-expanding underground stems.
SOURCE Tree Nursery Co. Tree Nursery Co, Inc. is a family owned and operated nursery with more than 3,000 acres of quality trees, shrubs, and plants. For more information on varieties to sow in the fall, visit tnnursery.net.