Speaking of mulching...
 

I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered
by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't
just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area
between them a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem
to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,
--
Jean B.

I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered
by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't
just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area
between them a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem
to have become more sunken over the years.

Wait a minute -- why not just run the mower over the roots and teach them a
lesson about staying underground?

"Jean B." wrote in :

I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered
by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't
just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area
between them a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem
to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,

Hi Jean,

My experience has been it's a perpetual battle. Trees such as silver maple
and red oak seem to love to surface large buttressing roots everywhere.
Unless the surfacing is the result of a drastic and quick loss of topsoil
(through flooding, for example) the most you can do is add a couple of
inches of fluffy compost and overseed, or plant in groundcover so that the
turf guys won't mow there.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

Jean B. wrote:
I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting
battered by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here
that I can't just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I
build up the area between them a bit to lessen the impact of the
mowers? These areas seem to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,

Kill the grass and then apply a thin layer of mulch.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

When people speak of smothering trees by adding soil around the base, that's
really because soil is dense and compact and doesn't allow for much oxygen
exchange, etc. Mulch does not create this problem, in the sense that 3
inches of mulch will be tolerated much better than 3 inches of soil. I would
kill the grass around the trees with rising roots, and, if you want a
uniform look, add 3 inches of mulch around the base, with less, or none over
the protruding roots, and correspondingly more in the deepest spots between
them.
"Jean B." wrote in message
...
I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered by
the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't just
pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area between them
a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem to have become
more sunken over the years.

Thanks,
--
Jean B.

"presley" wrote:

When people speak of smothering trees by adding soil around the base, that's
really because soil is dense and compact and doesn't allow for much oxygen
exchange, etc. Mulch does not create this problem, in the sense that 3
inches of mulch will be tolerated much better than 3 inches of soil. I would
kill the grass around the trees with rising roots, and, if you want a
uniform look, add 3 inches of mulch around the base, with less, or none over
the protruding roots, and correspondingly more in the deepest spots between
them.

There is mulch and there is mulch. A long lasting loose mulch will
allow air and water to circulate, keep the roots cool, and prevent weeds
from growing, all attributes of a good mulch. On the other hand, a bad
mulch will mat down and block air and water flow. Some good mulches are
bark (especially bark nuggets), stones in the shade (not in the sun),
and other long lasting organic materials. Poor mulches are things that
degrade such as sawdust, grass clippings, and other materials that
degrade and form a slime layer.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 08:47:25 -0400, Stephen Henning
wrote:

stones in the shade (not in the sun),


Generally good advice unless you happen to live in the Southwest and
are planting water efficient native gardens, which are all the rage
theses days,

Regards,
Tom

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 21:07:06 -0400, "Jean B." wrote:

I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered
by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't
just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area
between them a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem
to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,

I agree you should mulch the area to 3" deep. This is not the same as
adding soil, which should be avoided. The critical factor is that the
mulch does not cover the primary trunk flares at the base of the tree.
This part of the tree needs to be able to breathe and dry out between
waterings. If the flares are already buried, carefully excavate the
excess soil until you expose them. If this results in a large pit or
bowl around the tree, you may need to add a trench running outward
from the downhill side of the hole (be careful not to cut any roots
larger than, say 2" in diameter) and line it with gravel and maybe PVC
pipe to allow for drainage. The do your best to mulch without
re-burying the flares.

Good luck,
Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 07:09:57 -0700, Treedweller
wrote:

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 21:07:06 -0400, "Jean B." wrote:

I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered
by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't
just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area
between them a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem
to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,

I agree you should mulch the area to 3" deep. This is not the same as
adding soil, which should be avoided. The critical factor is that the
mulch does not cover the primary trunk flares at the base of the tree.
This part of the tree needs to be able to breathe and dry out between
waterings. If the flares are already buried, carefully excavate the
excess soil until you expose them. If this results in a large pit or
bowl around the tree, you may need to add a trench running outward
from the downhill side of the hole (be careful not to cut any roots
larger than, say 2" in diameter) and line it with gravel and maybe PVC
pipe to allow for drainage. The do your best to mulch without
re-burying the flares.

Good luck,
Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236

I'd simply mulch with coarse wood chips up to the level required. And
don't water there.


--
Fritz Oppliger

David Bockman wrote:

"Jean B." wrote in :


I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered
by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't
just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area
between them a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem
to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,


Hi Jean,

My experience has been it's a perpetual battle. Trees such as silver maple
and red oak seem to love to surface large buttressing roots everywhere.
Unless the surfacing is the result of a drastic and quick loss of topsoil
(through flooding, for example) the most you can do is add a couple of
inches of fluffy compost and overseed, or plant in groundcover so that the
turf guys won't mow there.

Thanks, David. My ultimate plan is to have ground cover around these
trees. I did start that around a tree that they seemed not to be mowing
there, and it got whacked! I need to set up more no-mow zones, I think.

--
Jean B.

Travis wrote:

Jean B. wrote:

I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting
battered by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here
that I can't just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I
build up the area between them a bit to lessen the impact of the
mowers? These areas seem to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,


Kill the grass and then apply a thin layer of mulch.

That may end up happening. I don't like using herbicides though.

--
Jean B.

Stephen Henning wrote:

There is mulch and there is mulch. A long lasting loose mulch will
allow air and water to circulate, keep the roots cool, and prevent weeds
from growing, all attributes of a good mulch. On the other hand, a bad
mulch will mat down and block air and water flow. Some good mulches are
bark (especially bark nuggets), stones in the shade (not in the sun),
and other long lasting organic materials. Poor mulches are things that
degrade such as sawdust, grass clippings, and other materials that
degrade and form a slime layer.

Well, I don't consider those things to be mulch--except for leaving
grass clippings on the ground. I tend to use pine bark mulch. If my
lawn folks ever get in gear, they are supposed to be bringing some very
dark, organic mulch.............

--
Jean B.

Tom Jaszewski wrote:

On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 08:47:25 -0400, Stephen Henning
wrote:


stones in the shade (not in the sun),



Generally good advice unless you happen to live in the Southwest and
are planting water efficient native gardens, which are all the rage
theses days,

Regards,
Tom

Well, I (OP) live in Massachusetts. I don't much like the look of
little rocks around trees....

--
Jean B.

Treedweller wrote:

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 21:07:06 -0400, "Jean B." wrote:


I have some trees with very prominent roots, which are getting battered
by the folks who mow the lawn. I know, from reading here that I can't
just pile mulch or dirt on top of them, but can I build up the area
between them a bit to lessen the impact of the mowers? These areas seem
to have become more sunken over the years.

Thanks,


I agree you should mulch the area to 3" deep. This is not the same as
adding soil, which should be avoided. The critical factor is that the
mulch does not cover the primary trunk flares at the base of the tree.
This part of the tree needs to be able to breathe and dry out between
waterings. If the flares are already buried, carefully excavate the
excess soil until you expose them. If this results in a large pit or
bowl around the tree, you may need to add a trench running outward
from the downhill side of the hole (be careful not to cut any roots
larger than, say 2" in diameter) and line it with gravel and maybe PVC
pipe to allow for drainage. The do your best to mulch without
re-burying the flares.

Good luck,
Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236

The area around this tree has never been built up with mulch or anything
else--at least that it the way it appears to me. (I have lived here for
about six years.) Now I have a clue as to how to accomplish this. Thanks!

--
Jean B.

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 10:24:16 -0700, Jean B. wrote:

Well, I (OP) live in Massachusetts. I don't much like the look of
little rocks around trees....

Ok: coarse mulch to build up, and LARGE rocks to discourage traffic?


--
Fritz Oppliger