Volcano Mulching

This practice kills trees.  Mulch should be no more than 3" inches deep when first installed.  As it settles it will eventually be about 1.5" thick and as it begins to rot it slowly becomes a thin organic layer.

Correct mulching is essential for developing a healthy tree.  Piling the mulch around the base just causes trouble.  The bark becomes soft and loses its natural ability to prevent fungal and bacterial pathogens from penetrating and attacking the wood beneath.  This results in slow deterioration of the tree because or the deterioration of the xylem and phloem, (the plumbing in the tree) that brings water and nutrients up to to the above ground tree parts and and food down to the roots.

If you have been volcano mulching then by correcting the error of your ways you may still be able to save your tree!

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