A client in Tacoma told me my mulch volcanoes were killing his trees

He pointed at a red maple I planted for him two years ago, showing me the bark rot starting at the base. He said, 'That mound is holding moisture right against the trunk, it's a slow death sentence.' I always piled mulch high around new trees to keep weeds down. After that, I changed my method. Now I keep mulch flat and a good six inches away from the trunk. Has anyone else had a client call them out on a bad habit like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

ninabutler1mo ago

My buddy had a client point out his over-pruning on a crepe myrtle. He was basically giving them crew cuts every fall, and she showed him how it caused weak, knobby growth. He stopped doing it that season. Sometimes you just need someone to show you the damage.

phoenixa641mo agoMost Upvoted

I saw a row of crepe myrtles butchered like that last week, maybe ten trees all with those thick knobs. @ninabutler, it's shocking how common that crew cut method still is. People don't realize they're basically forcing the tree to grow weak, spindly branches every single year.

jennifer_mitchell538d ago

Wait, ten trees all with those thick knobs? That's insane. I can't believe someone would do that to an entire row of crepe myrtles, that's just butchering them for no good reason. It's one thing to make a mistake on a single tree, but ten of them shows a real lack of care or knowledge. That kind of pruning forces those ugly, weak sprouts and it takes years for the tree to recover. Honestly, I'm shocked that people still think that looks good, the knobby growth is an eyesore.