‘An epidemic in landscaping': Expert shares why a new landscaping trend is devastating for trees

Many homeowners with yards have trees and want to keep them healthy, growing, and beautiful. It’s not just for aesthetics, but to also provide quality shade, a boost of oxygen, and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, provide a cooler and greener environment for you and your neighbors. One of the things many tree owners know is that a layer of mulch can help the tree stay healthy. However, experts are saying that a recent trend is providing too much of a good thing.

More and more landscaping experts are seeing “mulch volcanoes” piled up around the base of tree trunks in yards, and it’s not as helpful as a person might think. While placing mulch around trees is healthy and recommended to help retain moisture, shy away weeds, and protect the roots from extreme heat, piling mulch high and too close to the trunk can actually hurt it—or even kill it.

The issue, according to experts, is that piling the mulch too close to the tree’s base will attract the roots closer to the trunk rather than flaring out into the ground to find nutrients, as the mulch will likely be the closest, most nutrient-rich source. This can cause the tree to essentially strangle itself, a process known as “girdling.” On top of that, having too much mulch against the trunk of the tree can rot the bark, compromising the tree’s vascular system and inviting pests that thrive in that rotting moisture.

This isn’t just a problem for the tree, but for homeowners’ wallets. Not only are people spending too much money on more mulch than they need, they end up spending more on water since the mountain of mulch could absorb most of it before it reaches the tree itself. All of that money spent would lead to further expense because, if the tree dies, they would have to pay to get the now-dead tree removed and replaced. Essentially, the homeowner isn’t just literally killing their tree with good intentions and kindness, but putting themselves at a great financial risk in environmental losses.

Landscapers recommend surrounding your tree with only two-to-three inches of mulch, and to keep it shallow so the tree gets the benefits of the mulch without the chance of rot. It’s recommended to “think donut, not volcano” in terms of mulch distribution so that the roots are encouraged to venture outward rather than clog up near the tree’s trunk to seek the mulch. As a side tip, a person can save money by buying less bags of mulch and using grass clippings, plants already growing in your yard, and compost as effective mulch rather than spending more at the garden center.

Whether it’s to create a beautiful yard for you and your family to enjoy or to contribute to environmental causes, it’s good to know how to best take care of your trees and vegetation. Like most things, trees can become great and majestic when they’re given plenty of time, care, and space to grow, and not accidentally smothered by good intentions.