TREE PLANTING TIME
Fall is one of the best times to plant trees in your yard. Trees are an excellent addition to your landscape! They can improve property values, increase biodiversity, reduce utility costs, and help prevent flooding—talk about superheroes in the landscape.
Why You Should Plant Your Trees in Fall
Planting trees in the fall is perfect for a few different reasons. In the fall, trees drop their leaves and focus their energy on producing roots while locking away energy and water to last them through the winter. The soil is still warm from the summer, giving the roots lots of encouragement to grow. In fall they have no pressure to produce more leaves; they just have to focus on growing good roots. While daytime temperatures may still be warm, the nights cool off a little more, so your new trees will have less heat stress to worry about as well.
How to Ensure Your Fall-Planted Trees Get Established
When you're getting ready for fall tree planting, a little preparation beforehand goes a long way. Do your best to get trees planted 4-8 weeks before the first frost. Usually, it starts to freeze in Indianapolis consistently in late October, so if possible, get them planted before mid-October.
Do Some Tree Research
Before your trees are delivered, or before you pick them up, do a little research about what sort of care and light they need, and scout your yard for where you're going to plant them. Make sure you know the mature size before you start digging.
Measure Twice, Dig Once
Moving a tree several years down the road because it was planted too close to the house or the driveway is an expensive lesson to learn—and transplanting established trees is difficult, and many don't take the stress well. As the adage goes, measure twice, cut once. In this case, dig once. Figure out the mature canopy size of your tree, and measure it out on your lawn.
Give the Roots a Boost
When you pick up your trees for fall planting, it's not a bad idea to also get some root stimulant that includes mycorrhizae. Root stimulant is a fertilizer that encourages the development of fine root hairs and helps establish a healthy mycorrhizal community in the root systems. Mycorrhizal fungi help trees better absorb water and nutrients through their roots.
Adding a root stimulant will give your new trees a little extra boost to energize their root development before the ground freezes this fall.
Tuck Them in With a Blanket of Mulch
A 2-3 inch layer of mulch will make a big difference in how well your trees survive the coming winter. Just don't pile it up around right next to the trunk, since that can encourage rot to set in. But make sure the root zone has an excellent deep blanket to protect it from the dangerous freeze and thaw cycles in spring.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Watering the trees you're planting this fall is the most crucial step for helping them get established. Watering can seem like a ton of work and commitment, but remember, your trees are an investment. A little extra work now will make sure your investment stays healthy and lasts for decades to come. You'll need to water your tree consistently right up until the ground freezes, so possibly into November, depending on the weather.
Get Your Fall Tree Planting Started
The Dammann's tree lot is full of beautiful young trees that are just waiting to go home with you. Stop by today and wander through the collection. Our staff are on hand to answer any questions and help you choose the right trees for your landscape.