How to kill trees and shrubs without trying.
As we come out of winter and the sun is setting higher in the sky, homeowners are getting ready to go outside and work on their yards.
This past week as I was driving around, I saw some properties already getting mulched. At first I’m saying to myself, seems a little early but that’s their choice. My experience has been that you run the risk over covering up your bulbs such as crocuses, grape hyacinths, snow drops, etc. The other things I noticed was the volcano mulching approach. You say, “What is this?”.
Volcano mulching has been happening for years and the results can be devasting to your trees and shrubs. Have you even driven by a home and see the mulch buried up on the trunk of a tree? That’s volcano mulching. By putting mulch up against the bark can slowly kill your tree without you knowing for years. It’s best to keep the mulch against the trunk to 1” or less. It’s recommended that your mulch thickness stay between 2-3” to help retain soil moisture and for weed suppression. The same holds tree for shrubs. I’ve seen the lower branches of shrubs being smothered with mulch. Eventually, the shrubs branch will die or take root.
Over-mulching does the following harm:
- Root suffocation
- Poor Water Absorption
- Rot and disease
- Pest and Rodent nesting
- Nitrogen Depletion
- Unbalanced Soil pH
To learn more, give our office a call and speak with one of our horticulturalists.
Happy Gardening!
