Buried Plants - Deadly Mulch Volcanoes
The thousands of inspections our Certified Arborists have done over the decades reveal to us one thing: A leading causes of dise-ease, insect damage or death is "buried" plants!
Are your plants buried?
Planting too deep or piling on too much mulch is a death sentence for trees. Knock it off!
Mulch “Volcanoes”
Sustainable plant care means looking out for the long-term health of your trees and plants. This requires proper care from the start.
Unfortunately, we observe improper planting techniques around us all the time and uninformed landscape installers or nursery growers are often to blame.
Have you seen "mulch volcanoes" like these? Likely yes, on commercial lots, at your neighbor's home, maybe even (*gasp*) IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD- but have you ever observed a mulch volcano surrounding a healthy, mature tree in nature?
Never!
That's because mother nature's design allows the ROOT COLLAR to remain above the soil line.
A "buried" tree cannot exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen via it's roots properly. The roots start to grow upwards to compensate and slowly begin to strangle the tree to death as they tangle. This is called GIRDLING ROOT and it may be too late to help once you notice it above the soil line. Additionally this problem creates an environment suitable for infection, disease and ultimately death of part or all of a tree or plant.
Girdling Root
So remember, when planting: imitate nature.
Leave a visible root flare for proper oxygen intake.
Spread a layer of mulch around the base but not up to the bark, and never more than 2-4 inches. NO MULCH VOLCANOES
"HELP! What can I do if I think my plants are already buried?!"
Contact us today for a consultation with a Certified Arborist. Our state-of-the-art airspade and compost tea fertilizer has come to the rescue many times over the years.