Mulch - but not too much!

6/25/2016

Mulch is a useful tool that benefits and beautifies your landscape in many ways, but you need to make sure you're installing it correctly in order for plants to reap those benefits instead of suffer. Unfortunately, many landscaping companies install "mulch volcanos," and we see so many instances of these around town that it's practically burned into our minds as the correct way to do it! WRONG! Some might find these volcanos to be visually appealing, but boy do they make us arborists cringe!

The benefits of mulching:

Soil moisture retention.
Soil temperature control.
Reduces root competition between trees, weeds and grass.
Improves soil fertility over time (kind of like the forest floor!)
Reduces soil compaction from foot traffic.
Keeps weed whackers and lawn mowers away from the trunk and surface roots.
It looks nice. Unless you do it wrong. Mulch volcanos: Ugly. Mulch volcanos: BAD!

How to correctly install mulch:

Keep mulch away from the trunk. Bark that is constantly damp is an invitation for disease, fungus and insects.
Keep it shallow. No more than 2-3", please!
Expose the root collar. Make sure the flare is visible at the bottom of the tree. Surface roots can actually grow upward, girdling the trunk and strangling the tree. Yes! STRANGLING!
Take it out the drip line (if you can). While this may not be feasible for all landscapes, it's most beneficial for the tree. As a bonus, you don't have to mow under the tree, exposing surface roots to lawn mower damage. It can be a real struggle to grow grass under a tree, anyway! Give up and install mulch!

20 Comments

Dean Johnson link

7/13/2016 09:18:58 pm

I never knew that mulch shouldn't be a volcano covering up a lot of the base of the tree. Well at least now when offering the customer the mulch I have made from the brush removal I can give them a some real advice on how to use it. :)

Thanks for the info.

Tom link

8/8/2016 07:47:44 am

Heck Nope, lol - great line. Great to see those benefits listed right off the bat. I'll have to check out how the trees in back are mulched.

Domonick link

9/14/2016 02:58:42 am

Mulch really does add to your landscape when done right, i really enjoy red mulch. Thanks for the read.

Janette link

9/26/2016 06:41:24 pm

You should see some of the "mulch volcanoes" we see on a daily basis down here in TX - humorous to say the least! LOL... once again, great article :)

Don link

12/2/2016 04:41:08 pm

Great article. I have owned my tree service company for years, and you should see some of the looks I get when I criticize homeowners on the mulch mountains that I see. As a fellow arborists I try and educate them on the importance of mulch, but how it should be done as well. Great info. Glad dI bumped into this.

Denise link

12/7/2016 01:20:02 pm

I'm so happy I found this blog. Being in the tree industry ourselves we are constantly battling with customers in regards to laying too much mulch. I will be referencing this page in our Facebook news feed for our followers. Great article looking forward to sharing it!

Trevor link

4/8/2017 05:48:07 pm

This is so funny. I deal with similar pains but never knew "mulch volcano" was the specific term. I'll be sure to use it know :)

Tree trimming Cambridge link

4/10/2017 09:10:34 am

I'm searching for the same post from last few days. Mulch is best thing for plantation. We mix Mulch material in the surface of an area of soil for better performance. Thanks you so much for this post.

Tree Removal Service Elgin link

5/7/2017 02:50:05 am

“Nice info!” Thanks so much for the mention . This is raelly a good write up. We are also highly skilled in both commercial and residential tree care, specializing in "Tree Removal Service Elgin".

Tree Service Corpus Christi link

6/19/2017 03:56:31 pm

Thanks for the article. Definitely need to talk to some of my landscaping buddies about their mulch volcanoes and the hundreds of lbs of mulch they probably waste per year.
Thanks again -Matt

JP link

7/5/2017 08:36:46 pm

Funny how professionals will do the mulch volcano style! I was always taught my dad at a young age to keep it smooth all around

Gillian Babcock link

11/22/2018 12:18:24 am

My mom wanted to make sure that our yard looks great with trees. It was explained here that mulching will keep soil moisture retention and soil temperature control. Furthermore, it's recommended to hire professionals when considering quality mulch.

Camille Devaux link

4/2/2019 06:52:26 pm

I was on the phone with a friend of mine the other day and she mentioned wanting to get mulch. She really likes the idea of checking out root collars. This is a great way to make sure that you are getting the right growth.

<a href="http://www.saginawtreeservicepros.com">Chris</a>

5/9/2019 03:44:18 pm

"It can be a real struggle to grow grass under a tree, anyway! Give up and install mulch!" Exactly! Ha. This is basically verbatim what I tell my clients.

Sandra Patterson link

5/28/2019 03:34:51 pm

Wow, I had no idea that mulching can reduce the root competition between trees, weeds, and grass. My parents are thinking about getting into gardening now that they are both retired. I will be sure to forward this article to them so that they have a guide for what to look for when mulching.

Kacey Night link

6/18/2019 09:55:00 pm

Hah it's quite comical only because we see it all the time and roll our eyes thinking "dude what are you doing!?!?" and it happens more than you think it would. Gave me a nice little chuckle, thanks for that.

Randy Chorvack link

8/23/2019 11:56:08 am

Thanks for the tip about keeping the mulch away from the trunk to prevent disease and fungus from growing there instead. I didn't know that constant moisture was so bad for trees! I'll make sure to keep that in mind while I put mulch around my trees.

David Johnson link

10/18/2019 10:00:17 am

I didn't know mulching helped soil moisture retention. I moved into a new home recently and want to make the yard look amazing. It looks like I'll have to get mulch for my trees.

Tori Raddison link

11/18/2019 11:29:38 am

It's interesting that you said to keep the mulch away from the trunk of the tree to prevent disease. I'm thinking about getting mulch for my yard to make it look a little nicer. I'll be sure to put the right amount of mulch in the right places so that it looks good and works well.

Ivy Baker link

1/2/2020 08:27:06 pm

I have been thinking about getting some mulch around my garden. It is good to know that I will need a good amount of it if I want it to retain water. I should probably talk to a professional about what types of mulch to use.

Mulch - but not too much!

The benefits of mulching:

How to correctly install mulch:

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