As much as I hate to admit it, leaves are beginning to fall slowly from the trees and gardeners are wrapping up their harvests. Doesn’t it seem like winter was just here in April? As we prepare for autumn now we need to be thinking about how to prepare our perennials, especially our trees for the long winter ahead.
During a normal autumn, as leaves fall off and
temperatures drop, transpiration, or the loss of water from plant tissues, also
falls off, most of it occuring through the stomata and epidermal openings on
shoots and leaves. Water loss therefore
is minimal in the fall under normal conditions according to the Montana Master
Gardener Handbook. The low rate of
transpiration, coupled with low temperatures, allows plants to harden and enter
dormancy to survive the winter. A normal
recommendation for trees and shrubs, especially for conifers, is to water throughout
the fall until the soil freezes. Fall
watering fills the plant’s reserves for use during the winter months. Watering also reduces desiccation of shoots
and foliage, and because the plants are dormant, doesn’t stimulate new
growth.
Photo courtesy of University of Illinois Extension |
Everything I just mentioned is true for a normal
autumn. However, if we have a warm
autumn, continued watering may keep less hardy trees from hardening off. Therefore, you have a tree that is not
prepared for those icy blasts of fall and winter when they do come. However, withholding water from conifers may
make them more susceptible to sun scald, which is just a fancy term for winter
desiccation. Overall, recommendations
from M.S.U. Extension is to reduce, but don’t stop, watering in the fall. Conifers are the exception to this as they
still need water going into the winter.
Continuing to speak about the conifers in our yards,
they need attention during the winter when we get those warm spells or
chinooks. Evergreen trees and shrubs
should get watered during these warm spells to help them with the winds and
south and western sun aspects. However,
avoid heavy watering as this could stimulate early growth, especially under
warm conditions. We would like all the
trees to break dormancy naturally and not be fooled into breaking dormancy when
there is still more winter ahead. If you need further information about how to prepare your yards, trees and shrubs for winter I would encourage you to contact your local county Extension office.
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