There is an old saying that goes “The very best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago”. If you didn’t do it twenty years ago you can make amends by planting one now.  Fall is the perfect time for planting trees in Texas.  Fall planting allows a tree to establish itself in the cooler temperatures of winter and spring.

October is the best time of the year to plant trees in Texas. This weekend, I planted two large Empire Live Oaks from Tree Town USA in the front yard of nationally known decorator Holly Mathis (http://www.hollymathisinteriors.com/).

When choosing trees, people often want a quick growing tree. Quick growing sometimes means quick dying, so it’s best to be patient and pick a quality tree. Some good choices for our area include oaks like burr, chinkapin, red oak and live oak. Lacebark elm and cedar elm do well and pecans also make nice shade trees. But pecans are not a good choice for planting over driveways or for the squirrel-adverse. You can also consider smaller trees or large shrubs such as redbud, crape myrtle, desert willow, and wax myrtle. True, these trees won’t be gigantic shade trees, but they can make a positive impact and might be more appropriate and attractive by staying in scale with your home and smaller urban lot.

When I plant a tree I use my shovel to get the hole width and depth correct. Width should be 1.5 times as big as the pot and the depth should be 2 or 3 inches shorter than the soil depth in the pot

When deciding where to plant a tree, it’s essential to consider its mature size. Consider how big this tree will be in 10, 20, or 30 years. Make sure you don’t plant a tree too close to power lines, buildings or other trees. You also need to check that the tree isn’t too close to anything underground as well. Before you dig, call 811 to have the underground utilities in your lawn marked for free. Planting trees or shrubs might seem like minor digging, but not knowing where underground lines are could put you in danger or disrupt service in your neighborhood (or both depending on just how serious the sports fans are in your area!) For more information, visit www.call811.com.

The handle of my shovel was almost exactly 1.5 times as wide as the pot of my 45 gallon Empire Live Oak. Note the black line on the handle. This is how I determine the depth of the hole.

Trees can increase the value of a home’s resale. Properly placed trees can also help with heating and cooling expenses of the home. A deciduous tree (one that loses its leaves in the winter) placed on the south or west side of a home provides shade and cooling in the summer and allows for warming up in the winter.

A big tree requires a big hole and some help. I had two grown men help me with my 45 gallon Empire Live Oak.

I’d recommend doing some research on your own in order to pick your tree. Online sources such as the Texas Forest Service Tree Selector (http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/) and the Earth-Kind Plant Selector (http://earthkind.tamu.edu) can provide you with much more information on the particular traits of trees that work well in North Texas.

When back filling the hole, it is a good idea to fill 1/3 of the hole with soil and then saturate. Use the handle of your shovel to tamp in the soil. Then add 1/3 more soil and repeat. This will remove any root killing air pockets.

As far as planting trees a very common mistake is planting a tree too deep.    Keep the same soil line on the trunk when it’s in the ground as it was in the container. If this kind of exactness makes you nervous, place the tree slightly higher. Some settling may occur and it is very important to make sure the tree is not too deep.  Once the tree is planted, don’t forget about it. For the first three years it will need more care while it gets established such as supplemental water and reducing the competition of weeds and grass. For more details on proper tree planting and more tree choices for our area, check out www.dcmga.com, email us at master.gardener@dentoncounty.com or call 940.349.2892.

This post has been shared on the Homestead Barn Hop.  These’s hops are a great way to gather tons of great info from bloogers around the country.  Be sure to visit!