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?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninabutler7d 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.

phoenixa647d ago

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.