Things We Heart – September 2018

Fall is a great time of year to work on your landscape – cooler temps and lower humidity make for a more comfortable day spent in your yard. However, did you know that fall is also a great time to plant new trees and prepare your existing trees for winter? We’ve rounded up posts, including a few from right here on Tree Care Tips, to get you ready to tackle your fall yard work:

Identifying common fall tree pests

Now that leaves are starting to fall from your trees, you may notice a few things that you didn’t see when the canopy was full and green. You might spot webs, chewed up leaves, dying branches and some of your trees may have dropped their leaves early. Check out this guide for identifying common fall tree pests.

Pruning

Early fall is a great time to trim back dead branches because it’s easy to identify dead limbs while leaves are still present. By trimming before winter weather, you’re reducing the chances of those compromised limbs getting heavy with snow or ice and breaking during a storm. Read more about pruning trees.

Planting

Among a handful of other autumn “chores” you might consider to prepare your landscape for winter, one is planting a tree. Cooler temps and soil moisture levels make this time of year fantastic for planting a tree and letting it establish roots. Read more about planting trees.

Fertilizing

A fertilization program is used to maintain trees and shrubs in a vigorous condition and to increase their resistance to injury from diseases and insects. Not all trees require fertilizer, so if needed, the best time to fertilize is late April or early May, or late fall once plants are dormant. Learn about how and when to fertilize trees.

Mulching

Mulch is a wonderful way to care for trees, new and existing. It conserves moisture in soil, promotes a natural rate of evaporation, regulates soil temperature year-round, provides protection from weeds and it looks nice. Many homeowners apply mulch in the spring and fall.  Read some mulch dos and don’ts.