Fall is usually considered a great time of year to plant trees, perhaps even the best time of year. This may vary depending on which region you live in. Let’s explore why fall is often a great time to plant trees.

Why Plant Trees During Fall?

The Benefits of Fall Tree Planting

When planted during fall, trees can make new roots without having to feed leaves, which means water requirements and energy consumption are much lower. Trees go into a dormant state during winter, which allows them time to establish roots. The combination of cooler weather and rainfall during fall are ideal for helping with this root growth, which will aid them to become well established ready for dealing with extreme heat or even drought during the summer months.

As new leaves won’t grow until early spring, this gives the tree plenty of time for concentrating on growing roots before the need to collect water and nutrients when leaves start developing.

You might be able to find a good deal at this time of year when purchasing trees, as nurseries often have sales during the fall. Just be careful that the trees you choose are in good condition, and that they're not on offer due to being in a less than healthy state.

Are There Any Issues With Fall Planting?

There are very few issues with choosing fall as a season to plant trees.

There may be less choice of trees available in fall, although as fall planting is becoming more popular, this is changing.

If purchasing trees during the fall, there’s the risk that many on offer may not be in the best condition if they’ve not been looked after properly during hot summers. Take care to ensure you pick trees that have been well looked after. You want to ensure that the trees you plant are likely to survive winter conditions, so it’s important that they’re in good condition before being planted. As previously discussed though, it's during the extreme heat of summer that trees will be tested the most.

@emilyelizabeth_ wearing Three Trees Hoodie

When is the Best Time To Plant During Fall?

Trees can be planted at any time during fall, apart from when the ground is frozen solid. It’s usually recommended to mulch well, but to keep the mulch away from the base of the trunk so the bark doesn’t come into contact with too much moisture.

Want to Help Plant More Trees?

The world urgently needs more trees. As well as planting trees at home, you can also help the planet by supporting organizations that plant trees on a global scale. We’re proud to be a Sapling Level Partner with Eden Reforestation Projects. So far, we’ve helped to plant over 390,000 trees and counting. We fund the planting of trees with every order – help us to meet our goal of funding the planting of 1 million trees by the end of 2023: shop now.

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