AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Trees. We love them, we buy them, we plant them. And someday, we hope they love us back with a little shade.

But not if they die before their time, which is why you have a little chore to do this weekend: Water your trees.

“We think that in winter, trees are asleep — they drop their leaves, they don’t need any water. They all need a really good drink before all this happens,” said Colette Haskell, a horticulturist at Nick’s Garden Center.

Haskell said now is the time to give your trees a big drink of water before they go dormant.

“You can lay the hose there on a slow, medium drip, and then move it around every 10 minutes underneath the tree if you don’t have a deep root feeder,” Haskell said.

A big, satisfying quenching of your trees’ thirst is the best way to keep them around.

Tree care: What not to do before a freeze

But there are also things you will want to avoid doing. Namely, Haskell said not to fertilize your trees just before freezing temperatures set in. It would be like eating a big meal before bedtime.

“They’re trying to go to sleep, and you’re trying to give them a Flintstone vitamin. It’s like giving a kid a Pixy Stix right before you tuck him in. Why would you do that?“ Haskell said.

Fall is here, and your baby burch is getting ready for a nice winter‘s nap. Don’t forget that sip of water before you tuck him in.