Horticulture Forum
(The following article appeared in the August 2001 issue of Lawn and Landscape)

Have you started thinking about winterizing your trees and shrubs yet? Fall is a time of change and reorganization within the tree, and contractors can help trees survive and thrive with proper fall care.

Trees sense changing seasons in theree ways: via a dormancy timer in the leaves; due to changing temperatures; and by the amount of light they get. Old Leaves, buds and inner bark have a pigment that can tell the seasons. As the days shorten in fall, this pigment called phytochrome, tells the tree to shutdown for winter.

Trees prepare for winter through an organized process called senescence.This includes shutting down summer growth and conservation of valuable resources. A message is sent from the tissues with phytochrome, which signals senescence. Senescence brings both the fall colors and leads to renewed spring growth.