As winter approaches, we mulch our trees and plant beds to protect them from the harsh conditions of winter freezes, thaws, and winds. There is a right way and a wrong way to mulch around a tree and unfortunately we've been seeing too much of the latter. Across the Dallas area, one of the first things you can spot us doing on new properties or site evaluations is assessing the high level of soil or mulch around trees and foundations. Generally, if it is a customer appointment or setting up the crew, I am without gloves so my fingernails become the hand shovel as I pull soil away from the tree trunk (yes, owning a landscape company is glamorous indeed).

A Mulch Volcano (the wrong way)

It can be hard to tell from the untrained eye, but the soil and mulch around this Specimen Red Oak tree is 3-4” too high. A healthy tree needs the root flare exposed so it can receive air, proper amounts of water and nutrients.

Extreme Cases

Above are more extreme examples of 5 or more inches above the root flair which can cause excessive moisture build up leading to fungus and decay, eventually causing the tree to die. Additionally, the mulched area can harbor insects and also be a warm weather home for rodents to live.

We can help save your investment

In these photos you can see the soil stain on the trunks where we removed 3-5” of soil and mulch. These 13 trees had some die back in the top and middle of the trees and if gone untouched, 50% of more would have died. So if you see this in your yard, contact us today for a no-obligation consultation to correct this issue before loss of your landscape investment.

The Right Way

This is an example of a properly planted and mulched tree. A very tailored look that also keeps maintenance equipment from damaging the trunk of the tree.

The same can be true on foundations. Most home inspectors request 2” exposed below the brick line. In times of heavy rain fall, this is important so that water does not leach into the weep holes of your brick. We are often requested by homeowners to remove the soil and mulch to the proper elevations.

If you think your trees may be at risk, or the soil around your foundation is too high, contact us for a no-obligation consultation to discuss how we can help protect your investments.

Splendid Gardens provides professional landscape services to Dallas and surrounding cities in North Texas. We take great pride in delivering customized services to each client. Our experienced teams provide a variety of services including landscape design, installation, scheduled maintenance services, custom flagstone and redesign of existing landscapes. We actively give back to the community by volunteering our services to local projects in need.

Let's talk about your holiday lighting or landscape needs!

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