Large piles of mulch around trees have caused many homeowners stress as their trees fail to thrive. In a Reddit post to r/arborists, one homeowner shared a photo of their tree unnecessarily and unhealthily caged in with a fence, bricks, mulch, and trunk sleeve.
The OP says the previous owners added the mulch around five years ago.
"Would it be safe to take away this pipe and all the extra soil and just leave a shallow mound?" the homeowner asked. "Obviously looks bad as is, I'm just concerned about shocking the roots or a newly exposed part of the trunk."
As many have learned the hard way, improper mulching is a waste of money and effort because it can put your tree's health at risk, causing you to pay even more if you need to have it professionally treated or removed.
This expense may be particularly frustrating for homeowners who have begun transforming their yards into native or natural lawns in order to reduce the amount of money and time spent on maintenance and to support their local ecosystems and pollinators.
According to a fact sheet from Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension, adding too much mulch can lead to root decline because the roots can't get enough oxygen. Mulch also holds a lot of moisture, which can cause the bark to break down.
Meanwhile, large mulch piles, known as mulch volcanoes, create ideal environmental conditions for diseases and rodent activity, per the Maryland Grows Blog, while weakening the tree's support system.
Like many things in life, balance is key to proper mulching. Multiple landscaping experts, including the North Carolina Urban Forest Council, recommend keeping mulch several inches deep at most and keeping it an inch or two away from the trunk.
Commenters on Reddit agreed that the OP should remove the mulch around the tree, as well as everything else around it.
"Excavate around the base of the tree until you find the root flare," one user advised. "Keep it exposed and properly mulch around the base. This current 'setup' is likely smothering the roots."
"That's just so many levels of wrong!!" another Redditor said about the tree setup.
"Please do pull it all away, bricks, mulch, trunk sleeve, the works; don't leave a mound or anything," someone else affirmed. "There won't be any shock, you'll be absolutely helping this tree a literal ton."
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