Three Ideas After the First Cold Front

Three Ideas After the First Cold Front

Depending on where you live, the first cold front of the season can come right around in late October or early November.  It’s 80 °F one day and 40 °F the next.  When this happens, the transition from fall to winter has begun.

Fall is a time of adjustment.  Temperatures, rain, and light all change, and trees can be slow to respond.  All of this can make it difficult to know what you should be doing for your trees and landscape this time of year.  Below are three ideas that can help you make the most of this season.

Adjust How You Water

If your summer was hot and dry, you may have adjusted how you watered, watering more frequently and more deeply. As the seasons change, the watering needs of your trees and other plants can also change, and so you might consider adjusting how you water.

When adjusting your watering, it can be important to water according to the needs of your trees and landscape.  One thing we have found is that overwatering is more common than underwatering.  One way to water the right amount is to check how much water is in the soil, and there are three rules of thumb that can help you do this.

First, is the soil finger test.  Simply scratch about an inch into the soil and feel it.  Is it wet?  Is it dry?  Does it feel spongy and bounce back when you press it?  These can be signs of the amount of moisture in your soil.

Second, is the soil screwdriver test.  You can test the moisture level in your soil by pushing an 8″ screwdriver into it.  Does it go in easily and come out clean?  This may mean your soil has adequate moisture.  Is it hard to push in?  This could mean your soil is dry.  Does it go in easily but come out with wet soil?  This might mean your soil is wet.  These conditions can vary based on soil type but these are rough ideas.

Third, you can check the plants in your landscape.  How are they doing?  Are they green and flush with growth?  Are they wilting?  Is one kind of grass growing better in one area of your lawn than another?  These can all help indicate the moisture level of your soil in different areas.

One thing about watering is that evergreens might need more water than you think during the colder months.  Evergreens are actively growing year round.  This means that they need adequate water throughout the year.  Although it can seem that they are getting enough water if there is snow around them if you live in an area with snow, the trees can’t use the water in the snow until it melts.  Because of this, evergreens might need more watering during the colder months than you might think.  Again, you can check how the plants are doing and the moisture in the soil around them to give you an indication.

Mulch

Now can be a good time to check the mulch in your garden beds.  Bare beds can have a lot of problems such as heat loss, erosion, water loss, and weeds.  Mulch can help with all of these issues.  If you use a mulch that decomposes, it can also generate heat which can help your plants during the winter months ahead.  One suggestion is to avoid mulch that has been dyed.  While it might make things look nice for a while, the dye doesn’t benefit your plants and there are a number of mulches that have nice colors without added dyes.

Talk with Arborist

While there are a lot of things that you can do for the plants in your landscape, for some things, it is best to call a professional.  This can be particularly true for trees.

Trees are complex and they can respond slowly to seasonal transition.  Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to do.  Although you might consider applying things like fertilizer to your trees, these products can be complex and sometimes dangerous.  It can be difficult to know what your trees really need and it can be easy to apply too much.  This is where a professional can help.

A professional arborist can evaluate your trees, help you develop a plan for their care, and help you determine the needs of your different trees.  They can also help determine fertilizer and other needs and they can apply deep root fertilization when required.

This time of year is great.  The first cold front means all sorts of fun things can be ahead.  It can also be a good time to take a few steps to help your trees and plants.  By adjusting your watering to the needs of your soil and plants, adding mulch to your garden beds, and getting the advice of an arborist, you can help ensure your trees and landscape are ready for winter.