Fall Tree Care Checklist for Northern Virginia Homeowners

Fall is fast approaching in Northern Virginia, with many fun activities and cooler weather. It’s also a time you likely pay more attention to your trees as they display their brilliant autumnal reds and yellows. However, you should do more than just look at your trees this fall! This season is the perfect time to check your trees and prepare them for the approaching winter.

In this article, we’ll look at the six most essential items on a fall tree care checklist and why they are all vital for homeowners to do every year.

Key Takeaways

• Fall is the perfect time to fertilize your trees, as long as you avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer that will encourage too much growth.
• Check the mulch around your trees in the fall and add more if enough has decomposed; trees should be surrounded by mulch that is two to four inches deep.
• Have an arborist inspect your trees for any signs of overwintering insects or any weak branches that may snap off from the weight of the snow.
• Rake up your leaves and use them as compost to avoid snow mold development.
• Before the ground freezes, provide supplemental water for trees when the weather is dry.

6 Tips to Take Care of Your Trees in the Fall

Fall isn’t normally the time to do major tree work, but it is the perfect time for some minor maintenance to prepare a tree for the winter and to reduce the stress the cold and snow will cause.

1. Fall is the Perfect Time to Fertilize Your Trees

WARNING: Not all trees need fertilization, and you should have a professional conduct a soil test before applying any fertilizer. Fertilizing should seek to replace missing micro- and macronutrients in the soil, and overfertilization can adversely affect trees.

Using a slow-release fertilizer in the fall will improve nutrients in the soil and allow trees to have a jump start to the growing season in the spring. Arborists generally recommend fertilizing in the late fall, around the end of October and the beginning of November.

When fertilizing in the fall, you’ll want to avoid using a high-nitrogen mixture, as this will encourage excess growth that will likely die in the winter. A professional arborist, like one from Riverbend, will use a custom-blended fertilizer to get the appropriate nutrients to the soil and avoid stimulating growth or harming the roots. Fertilizing is practical for newly transplanted trees and established trees.

This tree has had mulch properly placed around it, with the mulch avoiding touching the trunk.

2. Update the Mulch Around Your Trees When Fall Begins

An organic mulch simulates the forest floor for a tree and has numerous benefits. Mulch is especially useful in urban areas of Northern Virginia, like Fairfax, Arlington, or Alexandria. In an urban area, it reduces soil temperature for trees near streets or sidewalks and can reduce heat stress in the summer.

The fall is the perfect time to inspect your mulch and see if it needs freshening. Organic mulch will naturally decompose over time, adding nutrients to the soil and improving its structure. While this benefits your soil, it does mean you’ll need to replace the mulch around your trees periodically.

Generally speaking, mulch around a tree should resemble a donut and be two to four inches thick. Summer storms and foot traffic can move mulch, so check that no mulch has piled up around the trunk. If it has, remove it immediately.

3. Check for Signs of Pesky Insects

Though insect activity begins to slow down in the fall, it is still the perfect season for assessing your trees to catch insect damage.

Many insects will overwinter on your tree to wait out the cold and prepare to attack in the spring and summer. Detecting these overwintering insects is difficult for a layperson, but an arborist has the knowledge and keen eyes to spot the signs. If they determine there are bugs present, they can suggest a treatment plan to avoid further damage in the next year.

4. Rake Up Fallen Leaves in the Fall

Once your beautiful fall leaves hit the ground, it is essential to rake them up. Letting leaves sit on the ground over the winter can encourage the development of snow mold on your lawn because the leaves act as an incubation zone for it to develop.

Instead of letting them sit, rake up your leaves and compost them. In the spring, you can use the compost to add organic matter to the soil. If the leaves have any foliar fungus on them, we recommend hot composting to kill the fungus and lower the risk of spreading fungi through the compost.

5. Keep Providing Water to Trees as They Need It

Though most people only think about watering their trees in the summer heat (if at all), you may need to keep providing supplemental water to your trees if rainfall isn’t doing the job. Only water your established trees when there has been insufficient rainfall and the ground is not frozen. Newly planted trees need more frequent watering to help them establish their roots in the first few years of their lives.

To check if your tree needs water, insert a probe, like a screwdriver, or carefully dig a hole six inches deep. If the ground doesn’t feel cool and moist, your trees can use water. We recommend using a soaker hose to water your trees. Avoid getting the root collar (the part where the trunk enters the soil) wet, and water as much of the area under the drip line (everything under a tree’s canopy) as possible.

Do not water trees once the ground freezes, and avoid overwatering trees.

6. Inspect Your Trees for Weak or Damaged Branches

Summer storms can cause branches to break or weaken. Even in the best circumstances, these branches are dangerous, but they will likely be unable to withstand the extra weight of winter snow.

In the late fall, after the leaves have fallen from the trees, an arborist will have the easiest time examining the tree and determining if any branches pose a danger to your family and your property. If they determine structural weaknesses, they will likely suggest pruning the tree to remove the weak branches.

WARNING: While there’s never a wrong time to remove dead, weak, or diseased branches, fall is not the ideal time to do structural tree pruning. Learn more about the best time to prune in Northern Virginia.

Riverbend Landscapes & Tree Service Can Help You Care for Your Trees

As the summer turns to fall, it’s time to make some final preparations for your trees to get them ready to handle winter’s harsh temperatures and heavy snow. By fertilizing your trees, pruning dead branches, treating for overwintering insects, raking up leaves, providing supplemental water, and freshening the mulch, you can give your trees the best chance to make it through the winter with limited stress.

Our team at Riverbend can help you prepare your tree for the winter. We have the equipment, expertise, and knowledge to handle just about anything trees throw at us. Improper tree maintenance can kill it or leave it extremely unhealthy, so trust our pros, who will get it right every time!

Ready to get started? Call us today at 703-402-9366 or request an estimate online.