The dreaded "mulch volcano" — where mulch is piled up and packed around the base of a tree — is a landscaping trend that has become incredibly pervasive, despite the fact that it is unnecessarily expensive and terrible for the health of the tree.
One Redditor recently took the initiative to remove some mulch volcanoes and then turned to the r/arborists subreddit for support.
"Groundskeepers pile mulch around trees every year. Did I do the right thing?" the poster asked.
Although the practice of creating mulch volcanoes clearly has its adherents, based on how often these creations can be found out in the world, a simple search will always show that this is a settled issue: Mulch volcanoes are harmful to the trees they are meant to protect, and there is no evidence-based case for employing them.
The responses were mostly positive, as people in the know overwhelmingly disapprove of mulch volcanoes.
"Did you do the right thing? Damn right you did," wrote one commenter.
Landscapers make mulch volcanoes "mostly because that's what customers whom are uneducated in plant and tree care thinks looks good. Mulch is an expense and seeing full (over filled) beds of mulch leaves a customer feeling like they got their money worth," another opined.
"There is a high end neighborhood near me that I walk through all the time. Nearly all the houses pay for landscapers, every tree is volcanoed, they are about 15-20yrs old now, many are dying," wrote a third.
Yet another commenter helpfully pointed to a resource from Penn State that explains the actual benefits of and proper ways to use mulch but warns against the dangers of "overmulching."
"Overmulching landscape trees is common. This is most obvious when mulch extends up the trunk, smothering the root flare and root zone. This practice, known as 'volcano' mulching, is never recommended and should not be utilized," the author wrote.
"As beneficial as mulch is, too much mulch is harmful. Deep mulch may suppress weeds, but it wastes time and money and can cause major health problems that lead to tree decline and possibly death."
Gardening and tending to trees and other plants is a fantastic way to get outdoors, interact with the environment, and help support your local ecosystem. Just make sure that you do your research and employ best practices whenever you attempt to help things grow to avoid wasting time and money and to ensure you are doing more good than harm.
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