Fall is a great time to prepare your trees for winter and the following spring. Preventative and remedial treatments in the fall can help boost trees’ stamina in winter and create a positive growing environment for spring. Here’s a helpful checklist for healthy trees and shrubs.
Many organizations choose to give away or sell very young trees to help encourage tree planting. Often, you leave home not knowing that you’ll come back with a new tree and find yourself at a loss as to how to care for this plant. Here is some 
guidance on how and where to put this tiny bundle of potential so it has the best chance of becoming a mature tree one day! There is an old proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but the second best time is now.” Well, we are very late for the best time, but right on time for the second so let’s get to work!
What makes fall a good time to plant a new tree? During autumn, the soil is still warm enough to support root growth, allowing the root system to become established. The cooler weather also means less watering and less evaporation of moisture from the soil. Since fall and winter months typically experience more precipitation there is less need for manual irrigation of newly planted trees.
Be on the lookout for bagworm bags on juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine, cedar and lots of other conifers and deciduous plants. Bagworm is a moth, which in its larval stage, creates a cocoon from bits of plant material. The cases are difficult to see and may go unnoticed until significant defoliation has occurred. The bags look different depending on their tree hosts, because the insects use the tree’s foliage to construct the cases.
Cocoon of a bagworm moth on eastern red cedar.
Being a leader in the tree care industry means continually focusing on learning and innovation. Bartlett’s Tree Topics blog follows in that tradition by offering a place to receive advice on trees, tree pests, tree preservation, and more.
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Make an appointment with your local Arborist Representative to discover why Bartlett is the leader in professional tree care.
