Fall is one of the best times to live in the Greater South Easton area of Massachusetts, with the cool weather and beautiful vistas as the leaves change their colors. If you like spending time outside during the fall, one of the best things you can do for your trees is follow a checklist to ensure they are prepared for winter and can make it through the dormant season.
In this article, we will provide eight of the most important tasks to put on your fall tree care checklist. By following these every year, you can keep your trees thriving and prepare them for winter.
Key Takeaways
- Fall is the perfect time to prepare your trees for the dormant season with our tree care checklist items.
- Fall is an excellent time to fertilize your trees, as a slow-release fertilizer will allow them to get a jump start on the growing season in the spring.
- Refresh your mulch in the fall and ensure it isn’t piled against the root collar; continue providing supplemental water to your trees during dry spells.
- Pruning weak branches, inspecting for signs of disease or insects, having an arborist cable or brace your trees, and cleaning up debris all help keep your tree healthy.
- We recommend handling most of your tree planting in the fall.
8 Items that Should Be on Everyone’s Fall Checklist
Not every item on this list may be relevant to your trees, but following all the applicable ones will give them the care they need in the fall.
1. Fertilize Your Trees
Fall is an optimal time to fertilize your trees in Massachusetts. A slow-release fertilizer in the fall will deliver nutrients to your trees throughout the winter and give them a jump start on growing in the spring.
Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers in the fall, as these will stimulate too much rapid growth in your tree, which will likely be too weak to survive the winter. Along with limiting the amount of nitrogen you give your tree, try to time your fertilization late in the fall but before the ground freezes.
WARNING: Fertilization of your trees is best left to the pros, as too much fertilizer or applying the wrong nutrients can adversely affect your trees.
2. Replace Your Mulch
Organic mulch will decompose over time, adding nutrients to the soil and improving its composition. You’ll need to check your mulch occasionally to determine if enough has decomposed and if adding additional mulch is beneficial.
In general, mulch around a tree should be about two to four inches deep and should not touch the root collar (the portion of the tree where the trunk meets the roots). If summer weather has blown your mulch against the root collar, gently remove it until it is exposed.
3. Adjust Watering as Necessary
Although we usually think of drought as a source of summer tree stress, trees can deal with drought year-round whenever they don’t have enough water. Continue providing supplemental water if we are going through a period of little rainfall.
Alternatively, fall can sometimes be quite wet in our area, and your tree may need less supplemental water. If you have an irrigation system for your trees, adjust it accordingly.
Precipitation can be somewhat unpredictable in our neighborhood. For instance, in 2023, Bristol County had the 6th wettest September on record since data was first collected with 7.75 inches of rain. The following month, in October, we had a relatively dry month in Bristol County, the direst since 2013, with only 2.83 inches of rain.
4. Prune Out Deadwood and Diseased Branches
While it’s best to leave significant pruning until later in the winter when a tree is dormant, there’s no wrong time to remove deadwood or diseased branches from a tree. These branches stress trees out and are susceptible to breaking off when winds or heavy snow affects them.
5. Clean Up Debris and Fallen Leaves
While it may not be most people’s favorite activity, raking up fallen leaves is essential to any fall tree care. Leaves left over the winter can contribute to worse-looking grass and snow mold development.
You can shred your leaves and use them as mulch in your flower beds, or you may want to compost them for some organic material you can add to your soil in the spring.
WARNING: If the leaves have any foliar fungus on them, you must perform hot composting. Failing to do that could allow the fungal spores to remain in the compost.
6. Check for Weak Sections of Your Tree
If there are weak sections of your tree caused by weak branch attachments, codominant stems, storm damage, or improper pruning in the past, cabling and bracing may be able to save them. These structural support methods help stabilize trees and lower the winter failure risk during a Nor’easter or other snowstorms.
7. Identify Signs of Insect or Disease Damage
Fall is typically the end of the season of transmission for most insects and diseases in the Greater Easton, MA area, making it the perfect time to inspect your trees for any sign of damage or infection.
If you notice symptoms, you’ll want to contact an arborist and have them help develop a plan. They may recommend treating your trees immediately to deal with insects that are about to overwinter on your trees and shrubs, or they may recommend preventive treatments for the next season.
Some of the common signs your tree is dealing with a disease or an invasive insect include:
- Premature leaf drop
- Discolored leaves
- Dead patches in the canopy
- Increased insect activity
8. Plant More Trees
Fall is the perfect time to plant new trees, so if you have an empty space you want to beautify, fall is the time to do it. You’ll want to plant the trees early in the fall to give their roots time to establish before the ground freezes and winter comes. The University of Massachusetts recommends a general rule of thumb of finishing up planting by Columbus Day weekend.
Regal Tree Can Help You Prepare Your Trees for Fall
Fall is often the time we give our trees the most attention due to their beautiful color, but you should also provide them with the care they need in the fall to help prepare them for the dormant season. If you aren’t sure what kind of care your tree needs, consult an arborist to get their recommendation or follow our checklist.
The team at Regal Tree & Shrub is ready to assist you when you want to take care of your plants in the fall. We can help with fertilization, pruning, cabling and bracing, and more. Call us at 774-719-2450 or request a quote online today.
