Yes, you can plant trees in fall in a cold climate but there are a few things to know first. The species, your location, and planting conditions all play a role in how successful the planting will be before it’s too late.
If you’re planting bulbs, here’s a list of 20 Flowering Bulbs to Plant in Fall.
The Best Time to Plant a Tree
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The right time to plant trees depends on where you live, the growing conditions, and what you’re planting. This is why you may see varying advice: it’s going to depend on your situation.
If you have a potted tree now or see one you want to purchase and want to know if it’s too late to plant it, this will help you decide.
For cold climate gardeners in North America, August through October is considered prime time for a lot of species. Some exceptions include magnolias and willows which tend to do better in spring.
Best Time for Fall Planting
- 50°F (10°C) minimum soil temperature
- 6-8 weeks before ground freezes for deciduous trees, longer for evergreens.
Evergreens require the most time to get established, followed by deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves in fall) which do best for new root growth in soil temperatures around 50°F or 10°C. And note that we’re talking soil temperature (at root depth), not air temperature which will probably be several degrees cooler than this at this time of year.
I use a digital kitchen thermometer with a long probe to measure soil temperatures.
If you live in Florida, you can probably plant trees any time you want. It’s a different story if you’re in a cold climate where the ground freezes and you need to be able to get a shovel in.
One catch is the trees we want may not be available at an optimum planting time.
Where we live, the garden nurseries have a wide selection in spring and by fall there are few options left. That pretty much dictates our planting times.
If you are in the United States (lower 48), there are both plant nurseries and mail-order services with fall selections.
And if fall doesn’t work out, the good news is, spring planting can work fine too so long as all the basics are covered: right tree in the right site, and adequate water.
Keep reading to see if fall is the right time to plant your tree.
Fall Tree Planting
Best Timing
When leaves start dropping fall—it’s tree planting time.
As a general rule, once the leaves start falling from the trees, it’s time for planting. The goal is to provide adequate time for roots to adjust to their new location.
It’s ideal to have at least a few weeks before hard frosts for deciduous trees and longer for evergreens.
If you’re not sure of your first frost date, you can look it up here:
- Frost Dates Calculator | This calculator at Almanac.com is simple to use.
Enter your city and state or province to find your first and last frost dates and number of frost-free days.
When Roots Grow
Tree roots grow well in soil temperatures around 50°F or 10°C.
Once you’re down to 40°F or 5°C, everything slows down or stops.
For us here in southwestern Ontario (zone 6b), the fall temperatures are wide-ranging and unpredictable, but to be safe, our cut-off time is late September. Our first frosts may begin anywhere from mid-October to November.
If I had a potted tree and winter is approaching, I’d get that tree in the ground even if time is short, knowing it’s going to do better in the ground than it may in the container.
Give the newly planted tree a good drink of water and add a few inches of straw or other organic mulch to prevent the shallow roots from drying out. Come spring, be sure it’s getting the water it needs.
If it’s really too late to plant, you can overwinter a potted tree the way I do my fig trees and then get it in the ground in spring.
Fall Tree Planting Tips
Water
Trees need to stay hydrated and your newly planted tree is going to be thirsty until the ground freezes.
One of the advantages of fall planting—for deciduous trees, at least—is that they can put their energy into establishing roots instead of growing leaves. And that requires less water, but they do still need to be watered pretty heavily after planting.
Set your phone with daily watering reminders. You can use a simple moisture meter to check the soil if you’re unsure.
Planting Depth & Mulch
A few inches of mulch can help delay freezing, allowing more time for the roots to take up water.
But, two important things:
Find out the right depth to plant your tree. Once you have an eye for this, you’ll start noticing that most trees are planted incorrectly, often with too much of the root flare or even the trunk—ACK!—below the soil line, or everything is sitting above soil level, vulnerable to freezing or drying out.
The root flare, which is the section where the base of the tree trunk flares out at the roots system, should be visible above the soil line. This allows water and oxygen to reach those roots.
- This tree planting guide has some good images showing best and worst practices.
- How to know if you are planting a tree at the right depth from Michigan State University is helpful as well.
Say No to Mulch Volcanoes
There is no need to pile mulch against the base of tree forming what is known as “mulch volcanoes.” Why? Besides looking unnatural, it may compromise the health of the tree.
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Summary
Best Time for Fall Planting
- 50°F (10°C) minimum soil temperature
- 6-8 weeks before ground freezes for deciduous trees, longer for evergreens.
Ask a trusted garden nursery the best season to plant the tree you want and make sure you can get one.
Learn the right planting depth, exposing adequate root flare, and never pile mulch directly against the base of the tree. Please!
Do apply a layer of mulch to insulate the ground surrounding the tree.
Continue watering until the ground freezes.
Resume watering in spring unless heavy rains are doing it for you.
And good luck with your tree.
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