Planting Trees in the Winter

Fall Tree Planting

Fall is a good time to plant trees, however, keep a few things in mind.

One is that tree selection can be poor in the fall. Nurseries do not want to sit on a tree all winter, but you might find some better pricing because of this fact.

Two is decidua (leaf) trees, although dormant, are still subject to freeze damage as shown in the post about winter damage so protect them as we discussed.

Three is all the trees will still need watering. A decidua will need to be watered at the time of planting so you know the ground was moist around the root ball for any starter roots, then be sure and water it again the first warmth of spring, even if this is in February or January. Evergreens will need water all through the winter. It doesn't have to be a lot of water but you don't want them to get too dry. They are not dormant so they need care.

If it's a situation where you can not get water to them and it's a long dry month that you are concerned about, a water bag can help.  These bags can expand with freezing and usually will not break in the freezing and thawing time.