Obeying the Almanac

Summer lovers, beware! According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac your fall and winter aren’t going to be exactly pleasant for you.

With below normal temperatures and above average rainfall here in the Midwest, you’re looking at a few months of grumpiness unless you make up your mind to keep up a good attitude. Since we’re not certified life coaches, we’ll forego the attitude pep talk and get down to what we’re trained to do, which is help you provide your trees with the best care. So, what exactly does it mean for you and your foliage when the forecast calls for these kinds of conditions? Here are a few notes that we put together to help you prepare:

1. Welcome the rain. The predicted wet weather is a good thing! Most home and property owners are forced to water their trees extensively in the fall to get them ready for the drier winter air. Because the moisture level drops in the winter, trees stock up on water in the fall to prepare for the dry season. If the weather is taking care of this for you, it means two things: less money out of your pocket for a water bill and more time on your hands that would otherwise be spent fiddling with sprinklers. Yes, a wet fall is a good prediction!
2. Bring on the mulch. When a frost is looking eminent, it’s time to lay down a layer of mulch around the base of your trees. Doing so is less about keeping your plants warm as it is about helping them retain moisture when the air is dry. The ideal mulch is made up of bark products, compost, peat moss or straw and is roughly 2 to 2.5 inches deep. But just a heads up, it’s best not to use the bailed hay that is available for Halloween or fall decorating. Those are typically loaded with miscellaneous seeds that will spout up in the spring.
3. Stop fertilizing immediately. Contrary to what you might think, you don’t want your trees to keep growing strong all summer long. Plants need time to acclimate themselves to the colder temperatures, and by fertilizing throughout the late summer and fall, you’re preventing them from slowing their growth and going dormant. Instead, stop fertilizing around mid-August (or asap) to allow them to slow down their growth before the early freezing starts.

 

One additional tip is to avoid any late-season pruning until after the freezing temperatures arrive.

If you prune too close to frost season, you’ll encourage new growth on your tree which won’t have time to fully develop before the damaging cold arrives. Instead, schedule a trimming session for after the trees have gone dormant so they won’t be sparked to start growing again. And to get the best trimming in the business, you can always call us at Grade-A Tree Care. We’ll put our experts to work to make sure your trees are trimmed properly and safely according to their environment and specific needs. So, this fall, be sure to prepare for the rain and cold and do what’s best for your trees. Ensuring their care this season will pay off when they are equipped to handle the dry, frigid winter. And before you know it, spring will be back and you’ll be enjoying their colorful beauty once again!   SOURCE: http://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange

How Kansas City Tree Care Should Use Seasonal Forecasts

An almanac outlook is a planning cue, not a watering schedule. Kansas City sits on clay that holds water after a wet fall and bakes hard after a dry one. Ice storms, late April freezes, and sudden 60-degree swings show up here even when a long-range forecast looks mild. Treat the outlook as a reminder to check your trees, not as a reason to water or prune on a calendar date.

If the season is supposed to run wet and cold, you can usually skip extra irrigation and still mulch. If it runs dry, the same trees that looked fine in October can go into winter short on moisture. That is when a deep soak before the ground freezes matters more than any published prediction.

What to Do in a Wet Fall vs a Dry Fall

Wet fall: Let rainfall do the watering. Watch for standing water around the root flare, especially on compacted clay. Hold fertilizer. Keep mulch a few inches off the trunk so wet bark does not stay soaked.

Dry fall: Deep-water established trees before the first hard freeze. Evergreens (spruce, pine, arborvitae, cedar) keep losing moisture through their needles after leaf-drop, so they are the first to show winter burn in March. See our dry trees watering notes for hose placement and timing.

Don't Let a Forecast Push You Into Late Pruning or Late Fertilizer

The original advice in this post still holds. Stop fertilizing by mid-August so trees can slow down and go dormant. Skip late-season pruning until after freezing temperatures arrive. A cut in a warm October can push tender growth that the first hard freeze kills. If you need work done, schedule it for dormancy, not for the week after a mild forecast.

Winter Access After the First Ice Event

A wet, cold outlook also means ice on walks and drives, plus extra load on limbs that were never thinned. Clear snow before it packs into ice, and have a plan for the first storm if you will be away. Grade-A Tree Care handles snow removal and winter tree work across the metro. More on why prompt clearing matters is in The Importance of Snow Removal.