Fall is here and Gardening Guy Henry Homeyer tells us why he feels this is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs in the yard.
Why not plant in the spring?
The spring is nice in that trees have plenty of time to get their roots established; on the other hand if you go away and don’t water for two weeks you can harm the roots or even kill it. The first year is really key. The fall is generally cooler, we usually get a fair amount of rain, and the thing that tips me in the direction of being a fall planter of trees is that the experts say in the fall trees extend their roots naturally.
Do they grow right through the fall?
They grow right through even after leaf drop. Once the temperature gets down to 32 degrees they stop until spring.
How big a hole do you need to plant?
You need a minimum of three times the width of the root ball or pot the tree comes in. I personally prefer four or five times. You’re trying to loosen up the soil by digging a wide hole so those little fine root hairs will not have a hard time extending out.
Should you be careful not to pack down the dirt too tightly?
You want to be sure to pack it down with your hands but not your feet because you want those roots to be able to extend out into loose soil.
