Planting Big Trees and Shrubs in winter in Chapel Hill, NC

Planting big trees and woody shrubs around Chapel Hill during the colder months is recommended. Fall, winter, and spring conditions are typically very favorable for establishing large plant material in our area, and undoubtedly can be some of the very best days to be outside enjoying the weather ourselves (dress accordingly).

Lots of clients ask if it is too cold to plant here in the winter. The short answer is no. We typically see our coldest soil temperatures in January when the top 4 inches of soil will, depending on the year, dip below 45 degrees which is the point at which most plant roots suspend activity and wait for slightly warmer temperatures. This does not equate to poor planting conditions.

Dormant plants transplanted in winter don't suffer as bad from transplant shock and wait patiently for February soil temperatures to signal the continuance of root growth. If you have lived here a while you know that the weather follows its own rule book. Lots of mild days speckle late winter before things finally heat up, and this allows plants to wake up slowly and stretch their roots into the native soil before leafing out in the spring.

Another benefit of planting large plant material in the chapel hill area in winter is that populations of insect and bug pests are greatly reduced or completely dormant. In winter the transplanted tree or shrub does not have to contend with energy loss from pest damage before it has had a chance to establish its root system. This allows the plant to allocate all of its resources to root growth and become strong for the upcoming growing season.

There are certain considerations to take into account as there are with planting in any other season. Large evergreen trees need to be staked until they have extended their roots far enough into the native soil to stabilize themselves. All newly planted trees and shrubs should recieve a 2"-3" layer of organic mulch to insulate the root ball and preserve soil moisture. All plant material should be thoroughly watered in even if frigid temperatures are expected. The science behind this basically dictates that moist soil has higher thermal mass and takes longer to freeze root cells than would be the case in dry soil.

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Since 2012 I have been planting trees and shrubs professionally in chapel hill, carrboro, durham, hillsborough, pittsboro, raleigh, graham and in every season of the year. Plant material installed in the heat of summer can do just fine if properly taken care of, but planting in the winter is easy as pie.