There’s a lot more to “fall plant care”, than just raking leaves. Fall is also the best time of year for two practices that will greatly improve the overall health and appearance of your trees and shrubs all year long: deep root fertilization and dormant pruning.
1. Tree & Plant Deep Root Fertilization
Did you know that fertilizing your trees and shrubs in the late fall is more effective for promoting overall plant health than fertilizing in the spring?
Plants respond to a late fall feeding by pulling in the nutrients, converting them to sugars and storing them. Come spring these sugars are available to the plants to use immediately when the weather warms, allowing them to bounce back quicker and healthier from the winter. A late fall feeding will also help your trees and shrubs resist disease, drought, and insect damage next season. In addition, it will improve flowering and leaf growth.
Don’t forget about “the big boys”! Many people mistakenly believe that large, mature trees can just take care of themselves. However, neglecting them can result in early leaf drop, bare branches and sickly trees. Deep root fertilization will help the overall health of your large trees as much as your ornamental trees and shrubs.
Fall deep root fertilization must be done before the ground freezes, so if you want to set up your landscape plants for a healthy and vigorous spring, call us today to get on our schedule ASAP!
2. Dormant Pruning
Dormant pruning is an important horticultural practice for maintaining the “Three S’s” of your trees and plants (Structure, Shape and Size), as well as increasing their flowering and overall vitality.
Late fall, winter, and early spring are the best times of the year for pruning MOST woody ornamentals (small shade trees, flowering trees and flowering shrubs). The cold temperatures eliminate the risk of disease or insects from cutting the plant, and the lack of foliage makes it easier to see the overall structure.
Proper pruning is both an art and a science that requires specific plant knowledge. For example, while cold weather is best for pruning MOST ornamentals, it is not the best time for certain broad leaf evergreens, boxwoods or evergreens. Also, there are specific pruning techniques for specialty plants like some hydrangeas, roses, hollies and rhododendrons that can dramatically increase their blooming performance.
At Reder Landscaping our crews are staffed with trained professionals who are experts at handling any pruning job!
Give Reder a Call to Help Your Landscape This Fall!
Contact us today to speak with Warren Liken, Reder’s Nursery Manager and Staff Horticulturalist. He can do a free site evaluation where he’ll assess the condition of your trees and shrubs. He then can design a comprehensive custom plan for your landscape to keep your trees, shrubs and perennials in top shape year round. If you’re a homeowner with large trees and a mature landscape, be sure to ask about our Certified Arborist Plant Care Program.
Whatever the season, when it comes to beautiful lawns and landscapes ( and Snow Removal), Reder Landscaping is the one company that does it all!
Trackbacks/Pingbacks