Caring For Your Trees

Plant a tree and nature will take care of the rest, right? Not necessarily. The trees in our yards, neighborhoods, and along our streets are a valuable asset, and require our help to keep them healthy. Proper tree care is based on science and research, not wives tales and myths. There is a “right way” and a “wrong way” to care for trees. Here are some tips you need to know to keep your trees healthy and working for you.

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Mulch - Too Much Can Harm Your Tree

Mulching trees can be one of the most beneficial things a homeowner can do for the health of a tree. Mulch can reduce water loss from the soil, minimize weed competition and compaction, and improve soil structure, fertility and health. If applied properly, mulch can give landscapes a handsome, well-groomed appearance.

Problems occur when mulch is applied too thick and piled high on trunks and stems. Sometimes improper mulching looks like mountainous mulch volcanoes at the base of trees. When this is done, it creates a moist environment in which opportunistic decay fungi attack the trunk and roots, causing root rots, crown dieback, a decline in health, and tree failures. Over-mulching also prevents gas exchange, suffocating roots and stems; can lead to rodent chewing and stem girdling; nutrient deficiencies; and often causes roots to grow up into thick mulch, only to dry out in hot summers, or form girdling roots that encircle and kill trees.

When applying mulch, it is important that we not cover that trunk flare (taper) with soil or mulch. Spread the mulch out in a layer that is no thicker than 2-4 inches, and don’t pile it up on the trunks of trees and stems of shrubs.


Improper Mulching	Proper Mulching

Notice that Mulch is not piled up on the trunk and the flare (or taper) is visible

For more information on Proper Mulching visit the following sites
http://www.umass.edu/urbantree/factsheets/9mulchingtrees.html
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx

Mulching Fact sheet
http://www.washtwpmorris.org/town/shadetree/mulch.html

An in-depth look at mulches in landscapes
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/SUL12.pdf

Good info on mulching of trees (nice photos
http://www.tlcfortrees.info/mulching_staking.htm

Problems with Over-Mulching Trees and Shrubs
http://www.rcre.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS099

What’s growing in your Mulch - Penn State Fact Sheet?
http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/pubs/pdfs/lscpe/growing_mulch.pdf

Root Collar Examination
http://www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/extension/urbanforestry/rootcollar.htm

Root Related Research conducted at the Morton Arboretum
http://www.mortonarb.org/research/treeroots.html

Cornell University Factsheet on Mulching
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/mulch/toomuch.html

University of Missouri Mulching Factsheet
http://agebb.missouri.edu/hort/meg/archives/v7n5/meg3.htm

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