Trees and shrubs are the most expensive plants in your landscape, the slowest to replace, and the easiest to neglect. Most homeowners only think about them when something is obviously wrong: a broken limb after a storm, a dead branch, a leaning trunk. By that point, the issue has usually been developing for months.
Fall is the right time to get ahead of all of it. Here is what Central Texas trees and shrubs need between now and first freeze, broken out by task.
Fall pruning: when and what
Not everything should be pruned in fall. The rules vary by species, and getting them wrong can cost you a year of flowering or a major branch.
Prune in fall:
- Hedges and shrubs that have gotten leggy or out of shape (boxwood, holly, Indian hawthorn). Light shaping only.
- Roses, after the first cool snap. Cut back by one-third to clean up the bush before dormancy.
- Dead, damaged, or diseased wood on any species. Always prune this out.
- Crepe myrtles that need shaping, but only to remove dead wood and suckers. Skip the “crepe murder.”
Do NOT prune in fall:
- Spring-flowering shrubs (azalea, forsythia, viburnum). Pruning now removes next year’s flower buds.
- Live oak and red oak trees. Oak wilt risk drops in mid-winter, so save major oak pruning for January and February.
- Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood. Same reason as the spring flowers.
- Anything you are uncertain about. Wrong-time pruning is almost always worse than no pruning.
The right pruning cut, every time
If you are pruning yourself, two principles save more trees than anything else:
Cut to the branch collar, not the trunk. The branch collar is the slight swelling where a branch joins the trunk. Cuts made flush with the trunk remove the collar and prevent the tree from sealing the wound. Cuts made too far out leave a stub that rots back into the tree. The right cut is just outside the collar.
Never remove more than 20 percent of a tree’s canopy in one year. “Topping” or aggressive crown reduction stresses the tree, invites disease, and produces ugly water sprouts. If you have a tree that needs major work, spread it over two or three years.
Feeding before dormancy
A fall feeding for trees and shrubs is the most underrated thing you can do for next year’s growth. Roots stay active well into November in Central Texas, even after leaves drop, and a fall application of slow-release fertilizer builds reserves the plant will draw on for spring leaf-out and bloom.
For most established trees and shrubs, a balanced slow-release granular fertilizer applied around the dripline in mid to late October is plenty. Skip high-nitrogen “summer green-up” products. They push soft growth that gets damaged by the first freeze.
Young trees (planted in the last three years) benefit from a deeper, root-targeted feeding. Several local companies offer deep-root fertilization where liquid feed is injected at root depth, which works better than surface granular for trees still developing their root system.
Pre-freeze prep for tender species
Central Texas plant lists include a lot of species that are technically zone-pushers: things that survive most years but get killed in a hard freeze like 2021. Some of them are worth protecting. Some are easier to let go and replant.
Worth protecting:
- Citrus (Meyer lemon, satsuma, kumquat). Wrap trunks with frost cloth or burlap before any freeze below 28. Mature citrus can take several days of frost cloth and a string of incandescent lights underneath.
- Bougainvillea, hibiscus, and tropical hibiscus. Move container plants into the garage. In-ground specimens need to be wrapped or sacrificed.
- Young palms (under 5 years old). Wrap fronds together loosely, mulch the base heavily, and consider frost cloth.
Easier to let go:
- Annual color (lantana from spring, vinca, salvia). These are designed to be replaced.
- Marginal landscape grasses that always look ragged after winter. Cut back, mulch, and decide in spring whether to keep or replace.
Mulch beds before first freeze
A 2 to 3 inch layer of fresh mulch around trees and shrubs is one of the highest-return investments you can make in fall. It insulates roots through freeze cycles, retains moisture, suppresses weeds in late winter, and slowly breaks down to feed the soil.
Two rules: pull mulch back from trunks and stems (volcano mulching is a slow killer), and extend the mulch ring out to the dripline if you can manage it, especially on mature trees.
The thing most people forget
Water your trees and shrubs in fall. Especially in dry falls, which describe most Central Texas years now. A tree heading into winter dehydrated is a tree that suffers from freeze damage worse than one that went into winter well-watered. A deep soak every 10 days through October and into November (assuming no significant rain) keeps roots hydrated through dormancy.
Use a soaker hose at the dripline rather than overhead watering. The goal is deep soil moisture, not wet foliage.
Want professional fall tree and shrub care from a team that understands Central Texas species? Lawns LTD’s tree and shrub services cover pruning, feeding, pre-freeze prep, and ongoing health management.