Mulch is organic material placed on the soil’s surface around trees and plants to enhance their growing conditions. Mulch helps maintain soil temperature and moisture, reduce water loss from soil, reduce weed competition, improve soil structure, and give landscapes a clean appearance. Often overlooked, spreading mulch around your trees is one of the easiest and most beneficial techniques that can have great impact on the health and vitality of your trees.

The past week has been cool and sunny with a little rain, allowing many of the trees to slowly progress with color change. Areas with high concentrations of blackgum and sourwood are currently showing the most vivid colors providing differing shades of red and orange. Sassafras is also beginning to show a variety of colors including yellow, orange and red. 

Foliage color change is ending in NW GA as a large percentage of trees have lost their leaves. The few leaves remaining are showing dull colors of brown, yellow, and red. Chestnut oak, white oak, and red oak are among the few species retaining leaves contributing to arrays of brown and yellow.  Select few maples are still showing some vivid colors of yellow and orange.

Overall color intensity will likely decrease in the coming week as leaves continue to drop.