It’s the best time to plant a tree in SLO County. Here’s what you’ll want to know
It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. But for those of us who missed that deadline, we can still make up for lost time.
In much of California, fall is the ideal time to start planting trees and shrubs.
Cooler weather helps young trees get established without the stress of heat and sun. Winter rains make it easier to dig planting holes where the soil is heavy and provide natural irrigation.
For deciduous trees, which lose their leaves in the fall, the period of winter dormancy gives the young tree time to grow a strong root system before leafing out in the spring.
Soon nurseries and garden centers will be crowded with bare-root and potted trees luring us with the promise of apples, oranges, peaches or plums, or attractive foliage or flowers to light up or provide shade in a yard.
If you’ve been thinking of someday planting that apricot tree or Japanese maple, now is the time to begin the process.
A tree is an investment in the future, something that will live for decades or even generations, if all goes well. Giving it a good start will reward you with a vigorous, thriving, and attractive plant.
The topic at the next UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County Advice to Grow By workshop is Planting Fruit and Landscape Trees and Shrubs.
Master Gardeners from our chapter will give guidance about how to select sites and plant trees. They will discuss choosing the right variety of tree for your climate zone; picking a healthy, well-shaped tree; and selecting a good location for it.
They will explain how to transplant a potted or bare-root tree: Digging the planting hole and preparing it, amending the soil, removing the tree from its nursery pot and trimming its roots if needed, planting it at the correct depth, staking and pruning, fertilizing and irrigation.
For more information
The program will take place Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to noon, at 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo. There is no charge; see our website below for more information or to register. In addition to the workshop, we’ll have a plant sale featuring native and Mediterranean varieties, propagated by our chapter volunteers.
Visit our You Tube channel at San Luis Obispo County UC Master Gardeners for more informative gardening videos.
Visit our website at ucanr.edu/sites/mgslo/ or email questions to anrmgslo@ucanr.edu.
UCCE Master Gardener Helpline offices:
- San Luis Obispo: 805-781-5939 (Monday and Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m.)
- Arroyo Grande: 805-473-7190 (Wednesday 10 a.m. to noon)
- Templeton: 805-434-4105 (Wednesday 9 a.m. to noon)
This story was originally published September 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "It’s the best time to plant a tree in SLO County. Here’s what you’ll want to know."