A lot of people associate spring as the best time for putting new plants in the ground, but autumn may be much easier on both the plants and the gardeners.
Throughout the spring and the summer, plants are putting their energy into growing new foliage and reproducing. They are also using light to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar, which fuels that growth. Excess sugars are transferred from the foliage down into the roots, which are used to grow the roots, but root growth is not the priority early in the growing season. Once reproduction is done and sunlight starts to diminish in the fall, plants such as trees, shrubs, and many perennials start to focus on expanding their root systems. Their leaves may start to change color from green to various browns, reds, and oranges, but this doesn’t mean that their work is done.
Plants have more photosynthetic pigments than just chlorophyll, and these other pigments remain creating energy for the plant, which is sent down to the roots. This shift means that your new plants will take root far more easily.
Additionally, the cooler air temperatures and shorter days means that less water is lost to the environment through evaporation, and it is easier to keep your plants from drying out. At the same time, the soil is still relatively warm, and root growth is stimulated even while the rest of the plant is going dormant. Once winter rolls around and the plants are truly dormant, their roots (especially important for shrubs and trees with larger root systems) will have settled in nicely, and winter moisture will help the soil tuck in around them. Even plants installed after the first frost can thrive as long as the soil is workable, since they’ll already be settled into the soil by the time growth starts again in the spring.
So, while many of us look at autumn as the end of the gardening season, it might in fact be the best time to install new plants into your yard. What do you plan on planting this fall?
September 2024 Newsletter
