Should I mulch under my trees to help against persistent weeds and improve aesthetics?
by DirtyOught
Should I mulch under my trees to help against persistent weeds and improve aesthetics?
by DirtyOught
21 Comments
I would. But I would do a straighter arc, unless you like handwork.
Aesthetics are subjective, but mulch isn’t going to prevent weeds
Mulch won’t fix the problem, plant native plants and let it be natural undergrowth for those trees in your area.
Si el mantillo o corteza es de mas de 10 cm ayudaria a evitar malezas…acá se ha probado con gravilla en espacios publicos y funciona
What you don’t want to do is what your neighbor has done by creating giant mulch volcanoes. It’s terrible for your trees as it smothers the root flare.
Yes mulch is what most people use.
You’ll still have to pull weeds.
Just do a Victorian edge. No barriers.
Pick a quality mulch for your zone. I pay extra for quality mulch, I find it works best for my weeds. My neighbors don’t and have ten times as many weeds lol
Just don’t smother the tree, let it breathe. Root flair is important.
Thing is, the weeds growing at the base of the trees are suckers growing from the roots of the trees. No amount of preventative will help with that issue and weed barriers become hellish due to weeds rooting to the barrier and stuff like Preen doesn’t work for crap due to seeds and spires still will root directly to the mulch. Weeds are a fact of life like death and taxes lol
I think it looks way better in the before pic
Your trees will be much healthier when their root flare isnt covered up under mulch.
As someone who is seriously into gardening,
I haven’t found it to be wonderful at weed suppression. Here, many things will grow right through it.
Cardboard with mulch/woodchips on top is an improvement (for a while at least).
I’d pick a native ground cover for your area, that likes some shade and toss that under there around the trees. It will hopefully outcompete some of the weeds, reduce time spent hand pulling weeds. Also it will act as a living mulch, which will reduce the amount of bagged mulch needed to fill the space over time. Add sedges/native grasses as well.
Be careful when adding. My county is full of businesses with beautiful mulch that is basically killing their trees because they have piled it a mile high around the trunk.
We had some trees processed in our woods, turned into mulch. The contractor just spread the piles over the roots, covered the raspberries and other shrubs, it looked great for a few years, helped provide nutrients and eventually shrubs began popping up again. However, my only note is that a lot of the trees that were already in decline did eventually fail. We need understory for trees to do well. Habitat fracture is real.
Zero
I like the bury the weeds in shred the tree folk need to get rid of. This over the years creates a very rich loam soil then plant some fescue and you get a green shag carpet that doesn’t need mowing
So, I’ve got a similar front yard. It’s under many shaded trees. I mulch it once a year. It’s best to wait until grass starts to grow in the spring because a fresh application will many times get rid of it. That being said, I would implore you not to put down a weed barrier. My neighbor does this and inevitably when the mulch gets low he’s got ratty pieces of fabric all over the place and surrounding his tree trunks. It looks so terrible. I use Ornamec 170 for any grasses that start to grow. You can spot treat with some roundup if you want but don’t put too much down near your trees. The rest I just weed whack once a month or so with my weeder. Looks great and none of that nasty material laid down.
Tree rings for the health of the trees and aesthetic. Anything else would just be more problems then its worth.
Mulch will make you notice the weeds more. But it’s good organic matter for the trees
Perfect place for a shade garden. No hostas tho. Wild Columbine, golden alexanders, Solomon seal. Head to a native plant sale in your area and ask for shade plants.
That’s gonna be a pretty penny for all that mulch. You’re better off doing large beds around each of the trees, and having grass between the beds/trees
Yes, or just don’t clean up the leaves. You could also shread the leaves with a lawn mower which looks a bit more intentional and clean.
Are these hackberry/ash trees? I can’t tell for sure. Either way, if you’re going to mulch, I’d personally recommend sticking with the *Create a “Donut”, Not a “Volcano”* instruction with any mulch you put down. Keep it away from the trunk to avoid rotting the bark & extend it in a wide ring from the trunk to protect the surface roots.
I prefer to use Arborist Wood Chips and Bark Nuggets, but that’s me. Around the 1-inch or less size range.
My yard is similar and it’s a new house for us. I’d like to do something like pic 2, but we have SO many leaves in the fall. I wouldn’t know how to get them out of the mulch. It’s easy to mow over as is.