|
Mulching with an organic mulch material is
very beneficial
around new and young landscapes/trees
However there are some Do’s and Don’t about
Mulching….
Don’t…
Don't fall into
the trap of the dreaded "mulch volcano," especially with young
trees.
You've probably
seen mulch volcanoes on people's lawns. Folks build circular raised beds
around their trees, then fill the raised beds with wood-chip mulch. The
mulch gets steeper and steeper the closer it gets to the tree, which shoots
out of the hole at the end like a lava eruption! In a typical mulch
volcano, the mulch may be 2" high at the perimeter and 6" high up
close to the trunk. There are several problems with mulch volcanoes:
1. Water runs off the sides of the
mulch volcano and away from
a young tree's base (which is where all its roots are, for now), thus
depriving it of water.
2.
6" of mulch
is too deep. Much water that would otherwise reach the tree's roots gets
trapped in the mulch.
3.
Excessive tree
mulching invites rodent pests and diseases.
4. Excessive tree mulching can even
suffocate roots.
Don't mound up
dirt or mulch around the trunks of trees.
Piling up mulch
against tree trunks can cause harm to your trees: it invites diseases and
rodent pests. If you are mulching around a tree, start tapering the height
of the mulch down when you get to within about 2” of the trunk, leaving the
base of the tree free of mulch. It would even be better to have to weed
this 2” than to risk damage to your tree, wouldn't it?
Dos…
1. Do Apply about 3-4 Inches of Mulch,
around new and young landscape.
Mulching
trees keeps down weeds, thus eliminating competition for water. In
Addition, much water that otherwise would be evaporated by the sun can soak
down through a 3-4” layer of mulch to the soil around the tree roots
2. Mulching trees also helps keep
their roots cooler in hot weather.
|
