When it comes to looking after your garden, nutrient-rich mulch is a great solution. You spread it on the surface of your soil to retain water, boost plant growth, suppress the weeds and improve the soil.
You can even learn how to make your own mulch from fallen leaves. So, when the warmer months roll around, you're prepared to protect the moisture and maintain your soil prime for growth.
When using mulch, your trees will thrive and look great, too – but not if you use too much. And that's when you end up making a "mulch volcano".
I'm guilty of it myself and it wasn't until I stumbled upon a video on TikTok, from professional landscaper William Beerman, aka @beermantheplantman, that I realized my mistake.
Beerman pulls up to a group of trees on the side of the road, all suffering from the overuse of mulch and he asks: "Do you know what type of tree this is? A dead one".
Adding: "As an industry, we're just out here just piling mulch on stuff". And, as he points to a huge mound underneath a tree, he explains: "It's not supposed to look like that".
What are "mulch volcanoes"?
A "mulch volcano" is what's created when you pile up mulch so high around the trunk of a tree that it looks like a volcano.
And, unfortunately, when you create a "mulch volcano" you're actually negating all the hard work that the mulch can do to protect your tree.
Instead, it'll retain less water as it'll fall to the bottom of the mound and off into surrounding grass or other plants, rather than absorbing it. It may also gather at the top of the volcano and sit there, causing damp, which can result in damaging bacteria for the tree.
With a lack of water also comes a lack of oxygen, so roots begin to wrap around the trunk of the tree desperately searching for it. These are called stem girdling roots and eventually, they can cause your tree to suffer from stunted growth or even death.
"Mulch volcanoes" also look pretty unsightly and for trained professionals, like Beerman, it literally makes them pull over their cars to look at the bad practice with disdain.
How to mulch the right way
Enrique Arayata, a certified arborist from Russell Tree Experts, recommends that you: Apply a level 2 to 4 inch deep layer of mulch at least 6 feet in diameter or up to the canopy drip line of a medium-to-large sized tree".
As Beerman notes on the trees he's found in this video, they're a "foot down" which is 12 inches. That's 8 to 10 inches more than the experts recommended.
Of course, this will alter slightly depending on the space you have and your personal preference. But, it shouldn't sway too far from these measurements.
He adds: "If water runoff is a concern, a small 1 inch tall, wall-like berm can be formed by hand around the perimeter of the mulch to encourage water to remain inside the mulch".
But, as mentioned above, if you leave too much of an area for water to gather at the base of the tree, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria and even a home for rodents to take refuge.
Keep it level or you'll have TikTokers, like Beerman, coming over to film your trees, telling you: "This is not a good look".
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