How To Care for Your Shrubs

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How To Care for Your Shrubs
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1. Inspect
As your trees begin to turn those charming fall
colors, Smiley says, look for early or uneven
fall color or defoliationboth could be signs of
potential problems such as nutrient deficiencies,
disease, and insects. Mushrooms aren't usually a
problem unless they're in clumps near trunks,
which might be a sign of root rot and decay.
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2. Have Your Soil Analyzed
Fall is a very good time to evaluate your soil,
so collect samples for nutrient analysis. If
there's an imbalance in your lawn, you'll then be
able to apply the appropriate fertilizer. For
example, if your soil has a nitrogen deficiency,
a slow-release fertilizer will get into soil over
the winter and then release in the spring.
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3. Mulch
Mulch now to trap warmth and buy your shrubs a
bit more time to grow and take up water and
nutrients. Over the winter, mulch provides
protection and helps reduce drying. Mulching is
particularly important for new plantings and old
shrubs. Smiley recommends using organic materials
such as wood chips or bark as mulch around shrubs.
Mulch now to trap warmth and buy your shrubs a
bit more time to grow and take up water and
nutrients. Over the winter, mulch provides
protection and helps reduce drying. Mulching is
particularly important for new plantings and old
shrubs. Smiley recommends using organic materials
such as wood chips or bark as mulch around shrubs.
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4. Spray LeavesMaybe
Some gardeners like to use antidesiccant
sprayschemicals intended to keep leaves from
dehydrating. But, Smiley says, "very little
research shows that antidesiccant leaf sprays are
effective." They will add gloss to leaves, if
that's important to you. Some deer repellents
include an antidesiccant, so you may want to try
a spray if deer are a problem in your garden.
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5. Look for Pests
Pests can still be a problem even as the weather
turns cooler. Cool-season mites can be quite
damaging, as are spider mites and hemlock wooly
adelgids. And then there are nuisance pests such
as stink bugs, kudzu bugs, and box elder bugs,
all of which are attracted by shrubbery. If you
have a problem, call in a professional for an
assessment.
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6. Transplant Now
"Fall is a great time for transplanting many
trees and shrubs," Smiley says. "You get a much
higher success rate." That's because the plant
doesn't need to support leaves in the fall, but
the roots will still grow a little. Still, you
must be careful. In some regions, such as the
Northeast, there are some plants that don't like
being moved in the fallthey're called "fall
planting hazards." Smiley recommends contacting
your local extension office for a list of such
plants before you move anything.
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7. Protect
Consider protecting shrubs that are subjected to
high winds, southwest sun, or saltfrom the ocean
or the roadSmiley says. That goes especially for
smooth-barked new transplants, which can be
injured by frost crack. Wrap the trunk with
paper, polypropylene, or burlap trunk wrapyou
can buy all of these at most hardware stores.
Protect foliage with a material such as burlap.
You can take the DIY route and make a windshield
by hammering stakes into the ground and stapling
on the material, or by wrapping the shrub in
burlap entirely and securing it with twine.
Another option is a commercial product like Shrub
Coat.
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8. Tie Branches
If you've experienced branch break in the past
(it's often caused by heavy snow loads), tie up
your shrubs with twine. Start by tying on a low
branch, and spiral up the shrub, gently folding
up the branches as you go. Smiley recommends this
technique particularly for delicate shrubs such
as arbor vitae and juniper.
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9. Prune
There are three types of pruning you should do in
the fall, Smiley says. First, prune branches that
died over the summer. Second, do structural
pruning for things like co-dominant stems. Third,
prune for size reduction, unless you have
old-growth shrubs with flowers on the old growth.
In that case, wait until after flowering is
finished.
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