Every day I see more and more trucks filled with ornamental grass clippings and spent perennials zipping around the rotary on their way to the land fill. Its the perfect time of year to get all that fall clean-up squared away before chillier weather prevails. It’s also a great time to plant deciduous trees and shrubs. Although the ground is cool, it won’t freeze for many weeks here on the island, giving time for roots to slowly grow out into the surrounding soil without the burden of keeping a canopy of leaves hydrated.
We are still well stocked up on trees going into the winter. It’s a little more difficult for us to show our customers trees this time of year, as their leaves have mostly fallen. However, a lack of leaves also makes it easy to see the branch arrangement of large trees. This can be a distinct advantage to someone who is particularly concerned about strong leader development and wide crotch angles on scaffold branches where they attach to the trunk of single leader trees. There is an ongoing debate in the green industry as to whether fall planting or spring planting is best for trees. Many landscapers prefer to plant in the fall. The arguement here is that a tree heading into dormancy continues to establish roots while the soil is unfrozen. In spring, this tree has a larger root system and is already well established heading into its first growing season. For information on planting trees, check out our video:
We’ve compiled a list of chores to consider doing this fall. It’s a good jumping off point if you aren’t quiet sure where to start: