Why Fall Might Be the Best Time to Plant a Tree in Texas

EAST TEXAS --After the kind of hot, dry weather we've seen around East Texas, you might assume fall is about the last time you'd want to put a new tree in the ground.

Turns out, fall may actually give it an advantage, as long as you're willing to keep an eye on the water.

Why Fall May Be the Sweet Spot for Planting Trees in Texas

According to Texas A&M AgriLife, fall is an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs because cooler temperatures give woody plants a better chance at establishing their root systems before they're faced with another Texas summer.

Even when the part of a plant above ground goes dormant during the cooler weather months, its roots can continue developing down in the earth, as long as soil temperatures are warm enough.

That means a tree planted this fall could have a valuable head start by the time our East Texas summer bringeth the heat yet again.

There's One Big Catch, Though: Watch the Water

Given the dry conditions we've experienced lately, this part really, really matters.

A newly planted tree still needs adequate moisture while its roots establish and strengthen. Texas A&M AgriLife recommends monitoring the soil around the root ball rather than just watering on some predetermined schedule. You want to get moisture, but you don't want to keep the soil constantly saturated either. 

It's also important to choose a tree suited not only to East Texas generally, but to your soil, sunlight, and available space. For example, at my house I have some areas that are drier with full sunshine all day, and others, under pine trees, that are more loamy. So I want to make sure I plant my tree in the right area, you dig? What thrives in your yard in East Texas may not work in mine.

So, if you've been looking around your yard thinking it could use another shade tree, you don't necessarily have to wait until spring. Your new tree might actually prefer that you grab the shovel this fall.

Read More: September Must Do’s for ETX Gardening? Experts Share Their Advice Here