So you think it’s too late in the year to plant or transplant trees, shrubs and perennial plants in your garden? Well, the good news is that it isn’t. Actually, you are at the ideal time to put these plants in the ground and have them ready to go next spring.
Why Fall?
The reason it is the ideal season for planting is that all of the plants that stick around year-after-year continue to establish its roots in the garden soil when the soil temperature is warm, above 45°F. Even though fall has already come and there may be a chill in the air, the soil takes a lot longer to cool down. Even deciduous shrubs and trees (ones that lose all their leaves in the fall) and perennials keep up root growth even though their green foliage is gone for the season. By December, the root systems are well-established, just waiting for spring to put out new growth.
They are way ahead of similar plants that are planted in springtime. Spring-planted plants must wait until the soil warms up to start establish their root systems. They are trying to establish their root system and trying to put out new green foliage at the same time.
The current drenching rain have also been fortunate for our gardens and are loosening the soil, making it ready to plant after our late summer drought. This is the ideal time to complete your landscape as it appears that Nature is finally on our side.
Prepare Your Soil
Make sure to prepare your soil to lend a helping hand to your plants. Add a little organic soil amendment, such as Leaf-gro to the soil that goes back into the planting hole. The recommended ratio of soil amendment to soil is 1 part soil amendment to 2 parts of the soil you dug out of your planting hole. Also, please add Mycorhizal fungi to the backfill soil too. These ancient symbiotic soil fungi with will partner with your plants roots and provide them with a huge extended feeder root capacity to find and take in water and nutrients. You will find these friendly fungi in the Espoma Bio-tone Plus.
Happy Fall Planting!