Mulch Volcanoes: Deceptively Deadly

In this video, we are talking about piles of mulch! We call these Mulch Volcanoes. Many people think they look beautiful. Except for one little problem… they kill trees.
Mulch volcanoes cause moisture to be trapped at the base of the trunk which can cause rot, disease, and other issues. They also give roots the opportunity to encircle the trunk of the tree and strangle it. This will eventually kill the tree.
The good news is that in most cases, this can be fixed. Although in more severe cases, it might require a professional and specialized tools.
Want to learn more about mulch volcanoes?
Mulch Volcanoes: the Mt. St. Helens of Tree Problems
www.leaflimb.c...
_____________________________________
www.leaflimb.com
We care for trees because we love our planet. If you need tree care services, advice from our Treecologists, new trees, or want to learn how to heal our planet, let’s chat! We serve Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Carrboro, Apex, Holly Springs, Clayton, Garner, Knightdale, Mebane, Morrisville, Pittsboro, and Wake Forest in North Carolina.

[@GirlytheCorgi]

Great content as always!

[@larryseibold4287]

too bad air spades are not more readily available. we could save so many more trees. I see developments all the time with every single tree has a root strangulation issue, obviously installed at the same time, by the same people, and never fixed because the tool to get down there is not really available (costing thousands of dollars).

[@easygalleryframes]

excellent video!

[@okieandy21]

Thank you!

[@keithkennedy3483]

Excellent video and information.

[@mrjon75]

My HOA loves mulch volcanoes and refuses to stop paying our landscaping company to Kill our trees

[@Leaflimb]

It can be really hard to change people's minds about traditional landscaping practices, even if they are harmful.

[@mrjon75]

@@Leaflimb True. But if you ask Google "how much mulch should be at the base of a tree?" You will get the answer NONE.

[@Leaflimb]

@@mrjon75 Well Google is wrong - if you ask the trees, they will say "lots! Just not on my root collar" :)

[@mrjon75]

@@Leaflimb Google is a girdling root with AIDS and cancer. But I'm talking about at the trunk. And the answer is 0 mulch. There should be 0 mulch touching the tree.

[@positively_broad_st3780]

I'm going to recommend this video to my property manager. Their landscapers are killing every tree they mulch. We have one five year old tree that looks like it's October outside, with its fallen yellow leaves and wilting branches, but it's the middle of June and 90 degrees outside. It's ridiculous how they can't notice it when they're out there cutting the grass every week...

[@surfergirlval]

Thank you for this video! My trees were planted 6 years ago and I've slowly noticed tiny roots in the mulch, and roots along the grass leading to the flowerbeds. I felt like the soaker hose around the tree and the high mulch must be making the roots shallow. My question is, what do I do about the drip line around the tree? I'll lower the mulch like you recommended in the video, and remove the choking roots. Should I keep the drip line, install something else or use just the water from the yard sprinkler system? Thanks in advance!

[@Leaflimb]

I would recommend skipping the watering altogether. At this point the tree should be able to care for itself.

[@phyllisnunn2061]

SUCH great info, thank you!!!!! So, a few years back, a local garden "expert" mulched under my black cherry tree. The tree began to look stressed and eventually grew scores of tiny branches/twigs all over. It has survived, but -- what would have caused this?

[@Leaflimb]

Did the gardener pile mulch or dirt on the trunk?

[@phyllisnunn2061]

@@Leaflimb I can't quite recall for sure, but I know it was 2 or 3" thick/deep around the base.

[@Leaflimb]

@@phyllisnunn2061 Was it piled on teh trunk?

[@phyllisnunn2061]

@@Leaflimb I can't quite remember, sorry.

[@joannesploban8986]

My understanding is that over mulching or planting the tree to deeply has a suffocating effect on trees. They respirate or breath through their root collar/crown which contain all sorts of circulatory roots. If it is covered with too much mulch or dirt the tree sends out lots of other little roots or stems to acquire oxygen and nutrients.

[@mariadavies9963]

When i bought the house they planted the trees and have that volcano and if i remove the Much I'll find lots of roots those need to be cut? Till i find the one you talk about in this video?

[@Leaflimb]

Yeah, the roots need to be cut if they are wrapped around the trunk. The idea is to remove the mulch/dirt and roots down to the point at which the trunk flares out and becomes roots