Here in New England, the fall is a favorite season for many. Leaf peepers come from all over to see the beautiful fall foliage.
If you have trees of your own on your property, you might be wondering about fall tree care. This is an important time of the year to perform some vital tasks.
In this article, we’ll dive into some of the most important fall tree care tips that ought to be on your radar. These include the following 5 fall tree care tips:
Taking care of your trees in the fall helps ensure that they’re well-prepared for the winter months and that they’ll emerge strong in the coming spring.
What Do Trees Need in the Fall?
In the fall, trees require upkeep and care that will help get them into the harsher winter months. This includes watering, fertilization, and mulching.
Let’s look at some of the specific fall tree care tasks that you ought to complete.
#1: Fertilization
To set your trees up for success (particularly with the approaching winter), you want to invest in tree fertilization. Your trees are ultimately only as healthy as the soil they’re growing in. Fertilization delivers vital nutrients that your trees need to thrive.
Following all the growth and stress your trees endured in spring and summer, they’re likely in need of a nutrient boost come fall. These nutrients get easily depleted during the spring and summer months.
This is especially important as trees gear up for winter dormancy. The nutrients from the fertilizer will be stored in the root system and provide the essentials that your trees need to begin healthy growth in the spring.
#2: Proper Watering
Proper watering is another important fall tree care task. However, trees will require much less supplemental watering than needed during the spring and summer. The soil retains more water in the fall as evaporation is less intense.
Trees need moist soil to thrive. But overwatering can lead to trouble like root rot. A few signs of an overwatered tree include soggy soil, growth of mushrooms or moss around the tree, and yellowing leaves.
#3: Mulching
We also recommend mulching around a tree. Mulched tree rings can help to insulate and protect roots and will also help the soil to retain precious water. A fresh mulch ring in the fall is also a nice aesthetic addition to your property.
But proper mulching is key. Unfortunately, quite frequently, people over-mulch their trees or they pile it up against the trunk. This can lead to problems that would require root collar excavation.
#4: Leaf Clean-Up
Fall tree care in New England can also mean quite a bit of leaf clean-up. This is more important for your surrounding turf areas than it is for your tree.
When leaves are left lying on the ground they not only become an eyesore, but they can also cause trouble for your lawn. A heavy blanket of leaves can block sunlight and water and ultimately start to harm your lawn.
Fallen leaves can also become shelters for unwanted critters on your property. And they can interfere with fall lawn services like fertilization, weed control, aeration, and overseeding.
#5: Tree Assessments and/or Pruning
While the best time to prune trees is the winter, since trees are in dormancy, you can start to make your pruning plans in the fall.
There are different tree pruning techniques that can be used depending on what’s going on with your trees (as well as your goals for them). We’ll cover these in more depth a little further on but these include crown cleaning, crown thinning, crown raising, and crown reduction.
A professional can determine what is best for your tree and its needs. A tree assessment can determine if there are other needs that your tree has ahead of winter. Sometimes cabling and bracing is required if a tree has suffered an injury or has a structural defect.
It’s important to locate potential problems ahead of the winter months when trees will have to withstand harsh conditions including wind, snow, and ice.
Choosing Tree Care in Southern NH, Northeastern Massachusetts, and Southern Maine
Hopefully, these five fall tree care tips give you a good understanding of what your trees need to thrive this season.
You’re going to get the best results for services like this when you partner with a pro.
While there will certainly be some tasks that you do on your own, a tree care professional will be able to guide you toward everything that your trees need to perform their best.
Every situation is different and you need an expert to help make helpful recommendations for your specific property.
Ultimately, you want to find a company that has your best interest at heart and that you can build a long-term relationship with. Your property requires ongoing care and it’d be great to partner with a company that you truly trust.
At Seacoast Tree Care, we are here to help. We take the work that we do quite seriously. We started our business with the belief that we are here to care for and protect trees whenever we can. However, when they do have to be removed, it’s absolutely critical that it’s done right.
We are committed to preserving trees in the New England area by keeping a watchful eye and performing the services they need.
Ready for safer and healthier trees at your Southern NH, Maine, or Northeastern Massachusetts home? Request your consultation and get a free quote for tree pruning services. We service properties in and around Stratham, NH, Kittery, ME, and Haverhill, MA. By making a wise choice, you’ll know your trees are in good hands.
