Edging and Mulching Around Trees - How To Redefine An Edge

[@davidt5200]

Quick tip if you want a perfect circle around that tree tie a string around the trunk of the tree loosely tie the string to your Spade shovel pull it and do a complete circle around that tree and you'll have a perfect circle every time.

[@SOLDOZER]

Tie the string to a can of turf paint.

[@scottpratson7766]

I li that band

[@scottpratson7766]

like

[@hairyjute]

Thanks man that's a great idea 👍

[@MrSavage77]

Great idea if you want a circle area...but who said that should be always a circle. I will go for a square...easier to create it and to maintain it.

[@applejacks971]

Step 1. Clean area Step 2. FF to 4:45 Your welcome Too drawn out for me, but I still appreciate the time he took to make/upload/share

[@DNUFER]

My daughter always asks me why I stripe my grass and edge the walks and driveways and why I'm sooooo particular about my yard. She says nobody cares. Well...apparently they do. Glad to see there are a lot of others like me. I enjoy your videos man. Keep up the good work.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Even if we are the minority of people who care, I'll gladly be in that group. :)

[@rakashaagain]

Great daughter there.

[@mynameizJR]

I didn't give a shit about yards either and didn't get why my mom was so into it. But now that I just bought my own house, well, I'm watching videos like this...

[@paullindner5500]

Tell your daughter,that all your neighbors take notice.I have received many compliments on my lawn and yard.One person said it looked like the Augusta National Golf Course.

[@CONCERTMANchicago]

A lot of others oblivious to the arboricultural rule to never raise the grade around base of tree, end up continually tossing soil back toward trunk everytime they recut surrounding edge. So it's cool that you teach your daughter how one must remove some of the old mulch layer before putting down a new layer.

[@kylepegram8232]

I REALLY LIKE YOUR VIDEOS. YOU DONT RAMBLE ON WITH UNNECESSARY INFO. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

[@TexasRose50]

Ok, got all that. But, how do you determine how big to make the circle? Is there a system? Does it depend on how big the tree truck is? I'd like to know before I do this. Thanks!

[@Nittanykzm]

Thank you for telling folks not to volcano mulch a tree. I see this done a lot, even by "professional" landscapes.

[@nightcore_meraki3043]

Lady Karen yea honestly. I was wondering why it’s so high lol. good thing I watched this before hiring them.

[@raczyk]

What determines how big the circle is under the tree? Is it a preference, or is the size?

[@Egalitarian-bt7kz]

A nicely done video and very informative. I ordered the Garden Weasel and a BIG thank you for mentioning this tool. I’ve subscribed and can’t wait for more informative videos.

[@LemonDropYum]

This is the best video I've seen on mulching trees. New sub.

[@ronrheude6176]

Did I miss the link for the edging tool you used in the video? Please share this. Good job with the materials & process Ryan.

[@user-cf8ir6iy6y]

EXACTLY the right way to do it. Too many folks put huge amounts of mulch on a tree and do more harm than good. Great vid.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Thanks!

[@tomjones4318]

I dropped the weed tool for an ordinary small flat pry bar. Gives you something to push against(fulcrum) when you are prying up a weed. On stubborn weeds with foot deep tap roots I use a full size pry bar. Makes quick work of um. If I kick up dirt I just consider that aeration.

[@igibon8]

Thank you. Just got HOA notice to make the edge right and remove weeds. Much appreciated for the tips.

[@shashank_mittal]

A suggestion - look up tree rings. These can be bought in vinyl, powder coated steel or aluminum. These are much better at creating a crisp edge, that holds up for decades, and the edge doesn't need to be maintained with an edger. I use them for all my trees and have 3-4" of mulch inside the ring. Mowing around the ring is easier too, if you keep the top of the ring at grade level or maybe 1/2" higher than grade.

[@jimgorman7289]

Shashank Mittal And also, the ring diameter doesn’t grow year over year and expand to eat your yard.

[@Bobangz]

where do you get them and how do they look

[@efrainmontero5138]

That metal or aluminum edge looks like $!(-)!T

[@wandarmanwanabdullah7735]

Great. What is the distance from the tree trunk to the edge of grass edging for tree of this size?

[@oldpurplebelt]

Can you use stone around a tree instead of mulch or will that interfere with the moisture?

[@darlenenelson215]

so much nicer. I have bricks around my tree and they are coming out! Yours looks soooo much better. Thank you great video

[@jamesmiller8910]

I always like to use Preen to prevent weed growth before I put down the mulch. I also find I don’t need to have the mulch as thick to keep out the weeds.

[@kimlittlejohn2195]

I believe Preen has glyphosate in it. You should look that chemical up.

[@lyndseymeagenwalker3057]

How would you handle low grade soil and exposed roots? I can’t get a clean edge without running into roots! 😒

[@IamR3D88]

Yea, all of my trees seem to have a hill running up to them

[@anakhan3711]

This looks great, for sure... for the time being. What happens if we have exposed tree roots, going at least 10 feet from the tree - all around it; AND what happens when we need to mow or trim the grass around that mulched area? Stupid, ugly mulch spreads flies everywhere, making it very difficult to mow the surrounding areas...

[@dallashurley7724]

I did a live edge but after a couple rains it pushes all the dirt into flower bed so was wondering how u keep it from happening.

[@timothybryan8260]

Good to see someone young get into their job.

[@elmormonteiro5780]

Can I plant some tulip bulbs then put mulch? Thanks.

[@maxlazzarin8417]

I've always wanted to remove the black edging and trench per your video, how do you approach trimming along the edge without getting grass clippings on the mulch?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Some will get on the mulch but it usually breaks down fairly quickly...it all depends on what you can deal with or how you want it to look I suppose.

[@olliemoore11]

would it be ok to put a layer of compost/manure down before topping with mulch????

[@austinitel.2972]

Hi, do you recommend using weed fabric?

[@jcking6785]

Looks really nice.... but why didn’t you remove the little sucker on the “back” side of the tree?!

[@coreywigal5435]

I would like to edge around mature trees I have in my yard, but some of them have exposed roots. Should I just edge up to them and then start my edge on the other side of the root?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

That will work. You won't want to cut through those roots

[@coreywigal5435]

@@ryanknorrlawncare I decided not to touch it. Started and got 2 feet in an hour because of all the small/mid size roots. So I’ll just have to kill off the grass to make my circle around the trees.

[@natashamitchell2904]

I have a tree thats like this so can i plant a full flower bed in this

[@army5300able]

Nice video! So what about placing a black cover to stop the weeds around the tree. Is that a good idea? Thanks

[@DC-cn9pq]

How do you get the circle not to look wonky?

[@joankenreg]

Can you put insert control nd fertilizer at the same time

[@malloryegolf]

Great video. Can you do this same process with a gas powered edger (you use along walkways) versus the manual one?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

On any established tree I wouldn't because you will definitely hit tree roots

[@chasingthefish9042]

@@ryanknorrlawncare some root damage is easy for the tree to recover from. I dont think using a gas powered tool would come out clean however.

[@rorybellamy2533]

good work , use better triple shred mulch ?

[@josemadrid4343]

What tree do you recommend for the front yard that is not too big?

[@charlesmarzette8522]

I have problem with rain washing mine away. How can I solve that problem?

[@joeknight8263]

You don’t use weed guard. Is there a reason to use that product or not use it?

[@1Independentrider]

How do you keep the grass clipping out of the much when you mow or weed trim?

[@TheEthNick]

Nice. Would you recommend placing a couple of layers of newspaper under the mulch to assist with weed prevention?

[@palehorse1021]

Is that a Hitachi trimmer @8:12

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Yep

[@brandonhoward5184]

A curved shaft trimmer?!?

[@johnmozina]

Should you put down weed guard fabric before the mulch?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

In the past I've used a nice layer of newspaper and that works well

[@digimom82]

Never edged our trees Unfortunately the maples are 25 yrs old +. So we have roots on the surface going out about 10 ft. How do you get rid of top roots? Pain to mow over also. My ultimate goal would be to make a dirt circle and trim like you or most likely have to put stone/brick edge.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

For older trees I don't know if there's much you can do other than put mulch on top and cover the roots...maples especially can be really bad for surface roots

[@FirstGendodgegarage]

What are the gloves for?

[@Vibestr]

is it worth it to use weed fabric around the tree and covering that with mulch? What about using a plastic garden edger? Is this a matter of preference or are these things bad for my tree

[@wathah323]

Where do i put the grass and soil that I cut out around the tree?

[@mikeellwood1258]

How do you feel about the rubber "mulch" mats?

[@Rxking713]

Is there a ratio you use for trunk size to circumference of bed?

[@cloudatlasminer478]

Proper drainage, most important reason to maintain the “ring” around a tree. Roots of tree expand well beyond the canopy.

[@lillianhurn4434]

What is the brand name of your edging tool?

[@brodygoalie]

What is the name and model of that edge tool. Nice !!!

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

There should be a link to it in the description. Thanks!

[@stephenlo739]

Is this a 3-year project?

[@CONCERTMANchicago]

*Flat mulching is where it's at, good job.* Looks like your Maple tree already has some problems. Such as, wherever there are trunk flat spots or vertical valleys. Most likely some trunk girdling going on below grade. Trunk should be perfectly round ideally, if came with good root system. Trunk suckers, or adventitious sprouts like you have, also point to problems. 99% of Trees grown in Nurseries over past 5-55 years have been an increasingly hot mess. Having built in obsolescence service lives. And many come with root flares already too deep in rootball, and must be excavated in order to install rootflare at grade. If your Blaze/Marmo suffers from bark splits or tissue voids, it may not have been caused by winter sun scald. But caused by suffocation of lower trunk if buried. Suggest looking up "Structural tree pruning", something required over its first 15 years. It was pruned for one main trunk leader in nursery, and should continue to be for rest of its "Formative years". So head back, subordinate, or totally remove any co-dominant stems. Or any large branches growing upward toward sky. More sideways you keep lateral branches, slower they will grow. This way you can keep lower branches as slow growing temporaries to help shade trunk and give it more girth. I suggest doing a "Root flare excavation" after viewing this video, which will show you what a root flare looks like, and why important that it not be covered. You will see extreme over mulching examples, but SGR's or Stem Girdling Roots can be produced in only two inches of raised soil grade or decomposing mulch. This old house "How to properly mulch around a tree" video kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHqUY4uEg9afmqM Notice how roots growing just at grade? They don't want to grow deeper, because soil below sucks. Probably from compaction which limits oxygen intake below grade. Like you said, trunk breaths, and so does trees feeder roots just below grade. They could have grown high, because there had originally been sod over the grade suffocating tree roots. Planting tree deeper does not avoid surface root problem as roots seek their own comfortable grade. As tree matures, there won't be many feeder roots near trunk perimeter. So mulching close around older trees is just more for visual aspect than trees health. It's good that at least all those big roots are growing outbound away from tree. Get rid of any roots paralleling tree within some five feet of trunk, as expanding root flare will get that wide in 50 years. Shape of rootflares have been evolved by trees to manage against girdling roots. And why trees with taperless trunks looking like poles entering ground, so easily suffer from stem girdling. It's great how you cautioned gardeners about if one digs too deep to edge between grass and mulch. You could sever younger tree roots that act like guidewires holding up tree. Hope I could pass along some interesting facts I have learned over the years as an Arborist...Enjoy!

[@sanmaran1]

CONCERTMANchicago Good Arborist advice. ISA and KAA....

[@billschultz3750]

This is great information. You would think the tree farms would know how to plant trees. They plant them from seed too deep, and they're doomed from the start. They are sold and replanted even deeper, and then get covered in way too much mulch. The beautiful and important root flare is forever buried in dirt and mulch🤧

[@rozzyboobaby]

Thanks for the information. My perspective just took a 360°. Now I need to do more research.

[@greggreen6636]

Never mulch up against tree, it can cause rot in the bark. Also u could put down something like preen or another pre emurgent to help prevent weeds when you put down mulch thin

[@darktoadone5068]

Good video, you don't want to volcano mulch, that can lead to girdling root and slowly over time damage or even kill the tree.

[@lovelyjubbly1010]

Hi Ryan, I live in NZ and have just purchased a new house there are some plants but my main prob is the lawn, its scrappy and barren in places, any advice would be welcome, and really nice video, very professional and easy to follow, I have a native tree in the small front lawn and three small fruit trees planted in the back lawn so this video has been very useful, many thanks.

[@rodi505]

Great job. Amazing yard! Why didn't you use a fabric under the mulch?

[@luistello1971]

Great video and well documented.

[@baronapple]

how about build some barrier around the edge?

[@blueknight5754]

The grass has roots that will grow into the new mulch area, make sure that you pull out the new grass that grows inside the circle not just the weeds.

[@boknows8936]

How do you sharpen your tools? I have a tool like the one you used, dull and can barely get in ground from day 1 😡, very frustrating, thnx

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

The one I have seems to be pretty sharp but a file should do the trick if you need to sharpen it a bit

[@MyKkata]

Don't you need to place a weed barrier before you pour mulch on top? Nice work by the way!

[@mmangla5575]

thanks for this video

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

No problem!

[@haciendadad]

Hello everyone, I'm a Volcano Edger. I'm here to learn how to do it, thank you. I've learned how to finally do it right after 55 years, a twenty something taught a great lesson! Thanks bud!

[@65cquintero]

Thanks for the explanation! 5 years later and it’s only getting more views

[@Pw6872]

The problem with so many landscapers, etc., is that in order to maintain a clean edge, year after year, they spade the bed back wider and wider. Soon you have a mulch bed that is ridiculously wide for the tree or shrub. In this video, the guy spades it 6 inches wider all around, adding a FULL FOOT to the diameter of the bed.

[@kyledavidson6372]

What if you already have a few roots near the surface? I don't want them to get too bad. Any tips?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

I cut some of my smaller ones near the surface and a year later everything has gone into the ground instead of growing up .

[@jazzyphizzel]

for those weeds I recommend using a "hori hori" garden knife. serrated on one edge, easy to use and cuts all weeds.

[@aceofspadeslandscapelesson8219]

Johnny the best weeding tool on the market for professionals, in my opinion.

[@rymaster4385]

Looks great! Glad to see you didn’t do the mulch volcano that so many people do.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Nope I've seen first hand how bad that can be for the root system.

[@BDLpercussion]

Totally believe you, but why then do all the professional and city crews do it? They just had trees planted along the sidewalks every 30 feet in the HOA and they all have volcanoes. Should I be the only brave one to take ours down? Great channel keep it up!

[@Mark.Watson]

Tell the HOA they are wasting money on mulch and this practice could lead to dead and deformed trees.

[@aceofspadeslandscapelesson8219]

Agreed, the number one cause of tree death caused by crown rot. All the big companies and cowboys do it around here. Drives me up the wall to see so many companies calling themselves professionals killing ornamental trees.

[@adriankap2978]

I'm so glad this is being talked about. I live in a heavily wooded and lake community and during the wind storms the first trees to fall are the ones that have mulch going up 2'min up the trunk. Its not just a waste of mulch it's also dangerous. Don't know how to get the word out in masses that we are killing our trees. Thanks for the vid.

[@kathymankin1624]

Thank you. Good explanation and very helpful.

[@DarElBarka]

Hey Ryan - do i need to kill the grass around the tree for a new bed? Can i just drop the mulch and hope that it will kill the grass below?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

No you should be able to dump a decent layer of mulch on there and the grass will kind of suffocate below the mulch.

[@DarElBarka]

ryanknorr - thanks. It will be much easier for me.

[@farooq2000]

Great video. 👍 Would sheet mulching with newspaper or cardboard help to kill weeds, before adding the mulch layer?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

I typically use a healthy layer of newspaper and it works well

[@farooq2000]

Ryan Knorr Lawn Care Thanks! 😃

[@jclapper9318]

I didnt watch any more of this video than how long it took to type this comment. The tree ring you have on that tree is immaculate. That is all

[@ajc1321133]

I was thinking about doing a mulch bed around a few trees but it seems like there is too much up keep involved due to weeds and mulch being washed away from heavy rain.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Surprisingly the maintenance is fairly low and I usually only mess with it a couple times a year. The benefit is that it's also good for the tree. If you use rock or something that heats up and doesn't retain moisture then it's actually more harmful than good.

[@samhobbs2746]

What is the average price of just digging a circle around the tree?

[@christianpirlet5494]

So how small of tree would you do this with? I have bare root that I get from our local conservation district. Thoughts?

[@warrenpeas]

tie a string to the edger and to the tree and make a perfect circle every time

[@Genuinerobbie]

I use the string tip mostly around trees that don't have a circle yet, great trick for beginners too. Also they have a tool out called a scuffle hoe and it works great for weeding out large beds!!!

[@lawnrebel]

I use the same process. Works great

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Love those clean lines!

[@ericcampbell7410]

Except you didn't cut the sucker growing next to the tree

[@markb8954]

Eric Campbell yeah.... i kept watching for that sucker shoot to be removed too. Part of tree maintenance. I “think” by the very end he removed it.

[@aceofspadeslandscapelesson8219]

Except it’s not a sucker, it’s an epicormic shoot..

[@ericcampbell7410]

I bet that suckers still there on that tree lmfao

[@1LiViNgGOD1970]

Glad some else seen that and that mulch is trash

[@karthiksubramanian5689]

Excellent video. Very detailed, clear step by step presentation

[@iPheek]

How do you remove grass roots in the area? It was my first time doing it and grass roots were all over the area. Tried my best to remove as many roots as I could.

[@jaminthompson5814]

What kind of tree is that? Did you use the scissors to get more of a precise edge? TIA Thanks for your videos and the editing is great!

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Maple tree and you can use a scissors if you want

[@StevieG21]

Hey Ryan I can’t find it in your other videos but I remember you mentioning you don’t like Milo in the fall and prefer synthetics. Any reason?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Milo works with the microbes in the soil and they are most active when temps are higher. As the weather cools, things slow down so you can still use it, but synthetic is more effective in the cooler temps.

[@dvan3630]

Love the video's keep them coming

[@drewloutz]

What kind of weeds were those? I am having issues with getting them killed in my lawn.

[@pauljojo6855]

Looks like creeping charley, it's actually a vine. It will take over vast amounts of your yard. Very invasive and hard to get rid of. Physically pull it out slowly, pulling up the vine as you go. Or live with it, at least it's green.

[@thatsnogood]

Did you rake out the grass at the end so it isn't matted?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Check the end of the video for the answer. :)

[@johnsimpson5684]

What do you do about surface roots?

[@S1NNER__]

What kind of grass is this , it's super lush

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Kentucky Bluegrass

[@thatcaligirl]

I would really like to make the mulched area around two of our trees SMALLER. how to i do that?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

You can try to let the grass grow back in toward the tree but it may or may not work very well.

[@Smutlamp]

ThenCaliSays Clear away the mulch and fill in with soil in excess to what you want then cut back to get a clean edge.

[@johnnycortez46]

When adding new mulch. Do you first have to remove old mulch?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Don't have to but I like the look of all new and fresh

[@pappagiorgio1675]

The video I've been waiting for. Indefinitely need to get a cutting tool to help me do sharper cuts. Question: when you mow around the tree, do you have issues with grass clippings getting blown on to the new mulch? Even when I bag, I get some clippings on top of the mulch and with a black top layer, it's unsightly.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

I try to close my chute if I'm going to be mowing at the mulch but yes it happens that inevitably some grass gets in there. The grass will dry out and decompose fairly quickly as long as you're not putting huge amounts of clippings in there.

[@pappagiorgio1675]

ryanknorr thanks for that.

[@BroMandudeKnar]

When you are done just use a blower on the lightest trigger you can have. Blow the mulch bed out. The mulch stays and the grass thats in it gets mixed up and youll barely see it

[@markb8954]

Brady Aldrich - Using a bagger mower helps, but so does the proper rotation around the tree/mulched area. You want to keep the exhaust chute / bagger pointed away from the mulched area.

[@ellenmelon4175]

Can you just let the grass grow around a tree, or does that stunt the tree? I am planting dwarf apples and cherries in my yard. Thanks for any advice.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

You can let it grow. It's just that usually grass really struggles to grow under a tree because the tree uses all the nutrients and then you also have to try to trim under the tree which can be a pain. Trees in a forest area will obviously not be mulched so it's completely natural and won't hurt anything if you leave it to grow grass underneath.

[@louisefalcinelli2303]

What is or should be the diameter across

[@tinaphihuynh]

Your technical is wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing

[@jbfryman598]

Can I still do this even if my beds have rock, instead of mulch?

[@christopherjustus6667]

Wow!!! Super impressed!!! I guess I’m not the only one who knows how to do mulch around a tree. Holy shit!!!! Mulch volcanoes everywhere I look. Bad for tree. No mulch should touch the tree. Ever!!!!!

[@AnticipatedHedgehog]

Would it be wise to some Milorganite before mulching or is that a bit overkill? lol I hope you saved those grass chunks to fill in elsewhere

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

You could put some down, wouldn't hurt anything. I don't have anywhere that needs to be filled in but I am building a nice soil retaining wall on my creek bed. :)

[@DiMo28]

sooo... you left a little sapling growing there?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Yeah I just didn't have my tool out to cut it but I'll take care of that.

[@BroMandudeKnar]

That sappling is driving me nuts lol!

[@johnjohng668]

Very smart. Hand pulling and thanks for NOT recommending toxic carcinogenic weedkiller. Thank you!

[@billmoe9430]

where did u get the edger from?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Link in the description

[@No-em2ow]

is that ryan from the office?