Enjoy the color of your deciduous trees and take some pictures for later enjoyment.

As the leaves fall on deciduous trees, make sure you remove them from the top of the soil. These fallen leaves may contain fungus or insect eggs.

Some people remove moss before they put their trees away for the winter to have a more uniform soil dampness. This also removes those pesky insects making a home in the moss. If the moss is removed, find a home for it in your garden for use next year.

When you take the bonsai off the stands and benches for their winter rest, make sure the stands and benches are cleaned and disinfected. I use any commercially available cleaner that is in the house and after rinsing thoroughly, use a mixture of 1 part bleach to 3 parts water for the final rinse. When cleaning them, make sure you get the cleaner down in between the boards.

Purchase the mulch that will be used when you bury the evergreens and prepare the area where they will be stored.

This is a good time to plant the trees you want to increase trunk size. Find a spot where the trees will not be disturbed for the next several years, and let them grow. After two or three years, it is amazing how much increase in size the trunks have obtained.