4 reasons to plant a tree in the fall

Thanks to the Arbor Day Foundation for sponsoring this post and helping make the world a better place – with trees. Visit the Arbor Day Foundation to learn more about planting trees this fall.

It’s officially the first week of fall. And if you are like me, you’re decorating your home, busting out the scarves and boots, and enjoying some pumpkin spice and apple cider.

We may be focusing on cozying up indoor spaces in autumn. But fall is also the perfect time to turn out focus outdoors. Because while leaves are turning on established trees, it’s also my favorite time to plant new trees. This year, we planted a few trees, already, and have plans for a few more before the ground freezes.

Here are four reasons we prefer to plant trees in the fall:

Your tree can develop a stronger root system.

Autumn means cooler temperatures and fall rain, which means trees can establish stronger roots. This also gives them more time before the stress of summer – with extreme heat or drought. You are basically giving your trees extra time to prepare themselves for the difficulties of summertime.

Planting trees can be done while working on other fall garden tasks.

There are several yard maintenance tasks that we do in the fall – splitting perennials, planting new plants, and moving around plants in garden beds. Planting trees is another fall task to add to the list. While you’re getting your hands dirty, why not do it all at once?

A fall-planted tree will need less maintenance.

Whether you plant your tree in fall or spring, it will need some of the same things:

Two to three inches of mulch around the base (but not against the trunk).
Plenty of water right after planting (even if the outdoor temps are cold).
Watering regularly after planting.

However, once fall has passed and winter arrives, the trees go dormant. This “sleep” state – or hibernation – slows down the growth of the tree, energy consumption and metabolism. So it’s a myth that young trees cannot withstand a cold winter.

And while the trees are dormant, they shouldn’t require any extra care. So while spring planted trees may need watering for three straight seasons, fall-planted trees will go dormant after one season, which means you’ll have a shorter season of care before winter hits.

There’s a longer window available to plant.

It’s safe to plant trees until the ground is frozen solid, generally after the first hard frost. Even if there is snow on the ground, if you’re able to stick a spade into the soil, you can plant. In our climate, that gives us a lot of time – and if you are in a warmer climate, you have tons of flexibility.

I’m especially excited about the new Saucer Magnolia we planted from the Arbor Day Foundation. Ryan and I are both smitten with magnolias and the giant pink and white blooms that bloom in the spring. Ryan’s grandma had a giant magnolia in her front yard and we still drive by it every spring, even though she’s no longer with us. I’ll be able to see it bloom outside our front window in years to come.

That’s the beautiful part of trees – planting something so small today will bring so much joy for years to come.

It arrived looking so perky and healthy. This was a potted plant, which most of us are familiar with planting. (In the spring, you may remember we planted a bare root fruit tree.)

Potted trees are a great option for fall or anytime. They how affordable, easy to plant and straightforward to care for.

The plant came with a large, one-gallon pot of soil and detailed instructions for planting.

We started by choosing the right location, and digging a proper size hole for the roots. Then, we break up the soil a bit before planting.

It doesn’t take long to get a new tree in the ground. After planting, we mulched and watered it deeply. We planted it at the perfect time, there has been plenty of rain and we have also watered it when needed.