Mulch Mountain Mayhem

As winter fades and our diligently piled snow packs dissolve with the increasing warmth, our eyes are drawn to the bareness of our lawns and gardens.  Realizing this starkness, the spring ritual of buying and spreading of mulch begins, and all over town the mulch-mountains begin to grow.  Mulch is a beautiful and beneficial addition to your landscape, but there are hidden dangers if applied improperly.  The construction of mulch beds around trees and gardens protects the landscape from human activity and creates a favorable soil environment.  Landscapers and arborists use mulch to reduce the competition with weeds and turf grasses, stabilize soil temperature, increase the soils water-holding capacity, and increase soil microbial activity.  A 2-4 inch depth of mulch is all that is necessary to accomplish these goals.  Unfortunately, the common practice of most homeowners is the piling of many more inches of mulch on their trees and in their flower beds than necessary, creating what we call in the industry “mulch-mountains.”  These mountains cause tremendous damage to the root systems of trees by reducing the available oxygen vital to the physiological processes of the plant.  The roots respond by growing up towards available oxygen and into soil horizons unable to sustain the weight and nutrient requirements of a growing tree.  Also, trees with shallow roots systems are much more drought intolerant than those with deeper root systems.  If left unchecked, these shallow roots tend to wrap around one another creating a problem know as girdling roots, which further chokes the life from the plant.  It may look nice, but resist the urge to make these mountains of mulch; trees and plants subjected to this practice are destined for death. Give us a call with any questions or to assess your landscape for plant health problems today! 317-257-4516