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Saucers and Volcanos
No, I'm not talking science fiction or threats to international travel; I'm talking about taking care of trees, and particularly, how you should mulch them as we head towards summer...
I heard it said recently that an urban tree's biggest pest isn't a bug, but, it is us, homo sapiens---the human being! How we top trees, instead of prune them... how we cut and mar our trees, rather than taking care around them with a weedwacker or a lawn mower...
And, many of us good-natured, tree-lovin' souls also get the mulching thing wrong. And if we do, we pose some serious risk to the well-being of our tree.
How many of you have seen trees with "volcano mulch?" Volcano mulchers pile the stuff up into a peak with mulch resting up against the bark, way above the soil line... This practice does more harm than good, inviting bugs, and creating a slope that moves rain water away from the tree, rather than to it. In the long term volcano mulch will rot the bark, the necessary ingredient to a tree in moisture and nutrient flow.
Mulching is crucial to a young tree's well being---it keeps roots moist and cool during hot summer months, not to mention creating a natural barrier between the tree, and you!
When you mulch, think of creating a saucer, or a dinner plate, or a shallow bowl with ZERO mulch touching tree bark, but only a light dusting at the tree, then rising gradually as you create your mulch circle to the drip line of the tree. The mulch will do some of its most important work-- most efficiently-- by following these guidelines, capturing important rain water, and directing it to the tree and its roots. Visit http://www.kibi.org/basic_tree_care_and_maintenance to learn more. We thank you, and more importantly, if your tree could talk, it would too!
