If you are about to plant a Bios Urn ® tree, one of the things to consider is which is the best season to plant trees in. This is a key consideration so as to give your tree urn the best chance of growing nice and strong.
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, fall is often considered the best season to plant trees.
Trees and shrubs planted in the autumn and to some extent in winter have the very best chance of fully establishing and they require minimum maintenance. Find out why bellow!
Remember that you can keep your Bios Urn ® in a dry and cool place indefinitely until it is the best season to plant your trees.
The best season to plant trees
For many people in the Northern hemisphere, spring has become the default season when it comes to planting or gardening, understandably so. Harsh winters and the lack of vegetation makes us excited to refresh our gardens and landscape our yards. Indeed, Spring can be a great time of year to plant, depending on where you live. But, fall may be more ideal for your trees.
The best time to plant trees will of course vary from region to region. In moderate places where the weather is consistent year-round, there may not be a preferred planting period which an online search should provide more information on. But for many areas that experience seasons, fall may be better to plant trees.
What do we mean by fall planting
Late August, September and October are the best months, but in general trees and shrubs planted in the autumn or winter have the very best chance of fully establishing.
It all depends, though, on when it actually feels like fall. As long as the hottest days of summer are gone and the ground isn’t frozen yet, you can still plant trees.
If you are planting your tree urn in winter, in the coldest months of the year, avoid planting if the ground is frozen hard due to extreme frosts or extremely waterlogged soil (water sitting on soil surface or sitting in the planting hole without draining away).
Reasons why fall is the best season to plant trees
Trees and shrubs planted in the autumn / winter require minimum maintenance because the soil is like the sea – it takes all year to warm up and then the whole winter to cool down. Hence, planting in the fall or in the mild winter months means planting in fairly warm soil conditions (regardless of the colder temperatures above ground).
Planting in the fall gives trees an extra growing season before the stress of summer. The combination of cooler temperatures and fall rain allows trees to establish their roots, making it easier on them to adjust to extreme heat or drought in the summer.
Many people fear that young trees can’t withstand the winter. However, that’s not the case. Trees go dormant in the winter, the equivalent of hibernation. This “sleep” state slows down the tree’s growth, energy consumption, and metabolism. It’s safe to plant trees until the ground is frozen solid, generally after the first hard frost. Even if there is snow on the ground, if you’re able to stick a spade into the soil, it’s still okay to plant. When trees and shrubs are dormant, they will require minimal maintenance (e.g minimal watering / pruning – unless of course there is a sudden winter heatwave!).
From right to left: root-balled tree, tree in pot and young tree.
Another benefit of planting trees in the fall is that in the coldest months of the year, you can purchase root-balled plants. These are trees and shrubs which are lifted straight from the ground and available to purchase without pots. These root-balled plants have a solid soil ball at the base and this is prepared ready for planting fairly soon after delivery. If the root-ball is larger that the upper capsule of your Bios Urn ®, simply remove the upper label and place the root-ball over the tree urn in the ground. Follow the rest of our planting instructions as normal.
Root balled trees and shrubs are also often a more cost effective option than plants which are containerized, but can only be purchased when the weather is cold. This is because once weather warms up the rootball dries out too quickly unless planted in ground.
Right Tree Right Place
The time of year you plant can have little impact on your tree if you don’t plant it properly. This includes planting the right tree in the right place. Before planting, evaluate your space to make sure it will be suitable for your tree as it grows. Be cautious of planting too close to surrounding structures. You’ll also want to consider how much sun, shade, and moisture the tree will get at the planting site. You may want to consider adding compost to the planting site which is rich in nutrients for your tree and also some mulch around the base of your tree to maintain good moisture in the roots.
Also make sure you look into whether you prefer to plant seeds or a seedling. If you are planting a tree from seed, the seeds may require some special care before being planted into the soil in order for your seeds to germinate successfully.
Proper tree care starts by properly planting your tree.
Can I still plant in the Warmer Weather – late spring / summer?
Many people only get round to planting when the weather is warmer or because the weather is nicer for a memorial or planting ritual. Indeed, spring does seem like a good time for planting trees. Nurseries have the biggest selection at this time of the year so it must be the best time to plant, or else why would they have all these trees available?
It is true that planting in spring gives the tree a chance to grow all summer and get ready for winter. Soon after planting, leaves develop and they are able to make food for the plant all summer. Keep in mind that we only see what goes on above ground. When a tree is planted it needs to make new roots. Planting in spring means that the tree needs to make new roots at the same time as it makes new leaves. Both of these growth processes require sugar reserves that are stored in the roots, and stems. Trying to grow both leaves and stems at the same time is taxing for the plant and both processes can suffer.
This growth not only requires sugars, but it also requires a lot of water. With a limited root system, the plant can have problems getting enough water. This is why some newly planted trees drop some or all of their leaves shortly after planting. They just can’t suck up enough water to support all of the leaves. So a tree or shrub planted in spring will need to be water pretty much daily throughout the warmer weather so it is more work intensive.
Definitely do not plant in the hottest months of the year – generally July and August. It will be pretty impossible to dig the solid ground in those conditions anyway.
There is no problem with planting trees and shrubs which are containerized (in pots) in the spring. These can planted at any time of the year.
What do you think of this advice on the best season to plant trees? Will you now be waiting for the right season to plant your tree urn? We would love to hear from you in the Comments section below!
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