Twig Tips by Jodie

Fall is for Planting!!!

Oh, the glory of October.  Wow, that sounds like a good name for a tree....hey, what do you know, it already is!  Price Nurseries Official Tree of the Month is the October Glory Maple.  We love all of the maples for their fall color, and this week I want to tell you why you should plant one now to enjoy its beauty next year at this time. 

People don't think about planting in the fall months.  It's getting cold, how could it be a good time?  Won't they freeze because they haven't had time to grow yet?  No.  The plants will actually be way ahead of the game if you set them out in the fall.  Why is that?  Because the soil temperatures cool off much slower than the air temps, and the warm soil promotes root growth.  So the plants are actually growing, you just can't see them.  The roots continue to grow until the ground freezes and then begin again as soon as the soil starts to warm up in spring.  When summer arrives, the fall-planted plant can deal with heat and drought much better due to its more established root system.  This is especially important when planting trees that are planted away from a water source or that may get limited care in the summer. (maybe it is your summer home and you are only there part of the summer?) 

What else should you plant in the fall?  Well, everyone knows about planting bulbs for spring color, right?  I will touch on that more next week because there are a few things you should know about that so that you will achieve some success.

Why else should you plant trees and shrubs in the fall?  Because fall has more rain than late spring, which keeps watering more consistent. Because it's much cooler, not much chance of a 90 degree day. Because fewer disease and pest problems are hanging around to plague a plant that is already weakened from transplanting.  And the most important reason, because I said so! (that's what I tell my kids, anyway)

Off to plant a new tree to hug - Jodie