Hi! New homeowner here and beginner in lawn care. How do I go about mulching the tree? Do I just rake out all the weeds/flower in the circle area and put down mulch? The tree looks beautiful but the circle area is an eyesore. Also, what is that straw thing in the tree, it’s really wedged inside. Thank you in advance. 😅
by ichirakuramen8
6 Comments
Probably want to think about some sort of edging between tree mulch and grass — helps with the mowing. If kids in the neighborhood maybe stay away from rocks and put in bark. If no issues with throwing rocks then maybe some color of rocks or other items that catch your eye and set off the tree they way you want it — with an edge to keep stuff out of grass. The straw thing may be a “you’ve got mail” from the tree to get your attention and “get my base finished”.
Yep, clear out weeds and pile some mulch on. Make sure to keep the mulch away from the trunk. It shouldn’t be touching the trunk.
I strongly advise that you contact an ISA certified arborist. The tube you see is for medication administration… think IV line but for a tree… It was being treated for something and you may need to continue this treatment depending on what it’s for. It could have been just preventive—there’s clearly some rot in that hole and that can lead to disease. Or it could have been for an already existing disease. Japanese maples are prone to Verticillium wilt, which is often deadly. It’s a gorgeous tree and it took many years for it to become so impressive—it deserves some TLC.
The best mulch for trees is arborist’s wood chips and it also suppresses the weeds. It doesn’t look as uniform as artificially colored beauty bark, but it’s better for tree health. Also… mulch is meant to keep moisture and improve soil composition over the roots. In your case, the roots extend several feet past the circle (given the age and size of the tree.) While you probably want to keep some of your lawn, I’d make that circle bigger… You’ll get used to it if you like trees better than lawns. Whatever you decide to mulch with, make sure it’s at least 6” away from the tree flare. Do not use landscaping fabric—it will significantly reduce longevity of your tree.
For future reference, the best sub for questions about trees is r/arborists. You can repost it there. You’ll get a lot of useful information on that sub.
Beautiful tree.
You need a certified arborist and to expose the root flare. Have someone come do an assessment or risk losing it
I’m a little concerned about the health of this tree because of the rot . Time for an expert , not me .