Proper Mulching Techniques

Mulching around your trees provides a good way to conserve moisture for your tree and keep plants healthy. Trees lose moisture from evaporation, mulching can conserve between 10 to 25 percent. They also help keep the soil well aerated by reducing soil compaction that results when raindrops hit the soil. Having the soil aerated in turn then reduces runoff and erosion. Mulch also helps keep the soil healthy, preventing possible fungi from causing soil-borne diseases.

Because trees sustain a lot of damage from lawn mowing and weed trimmers, adding mulch around the base of your trees can help reduce this damage. Professionals suggest a 2- to 4-inch layer. This will also help prevent most weeds from growing.

When applying your mulch, try and cover as much of the root zone as possible. The mulched area should extend at least 3 to 6 feet out from the base of the plant. Some suggest not putting the mulch right up against the base of the tree, leaving 1 to 2 inches - this can help prevent bark decay.

As far as how much mulch depth to build around your tree, this will depend on the type of soil surrounding it. Sandy soils dry out quickly and often benefit from a slightly deeper mulch layer (3 to 4 inches). A site that stays moist may not benefit from mulching at all.

You can apply your mulch any time of the year, but the most ideal is in late spring after the soil has warmed. Early spring application will delay soil warming and possibly plant growth. You do not have to remove the mulch when you fertilize, just apply the fertilizer over the mulch and the nutrients will move with water to the roots below.

In regards to what you can use for mulch, there are many materials out there - each with their advantages and disadvantages. Organic materials used for mulch should be weed-free. Some of the best organic materials include pine bark nuggets, pine straw, and compost. Pine straw looks nice and will remain in place better than most other materials but Pine bark lasts longer and can be washed with a heavy rain. Bark used as mulch should contain less than 10 percent wood fiber.

Other organic materials that are sometimes used as mulch include wheat straw, shredded newspaper, peanut hulls, wood chips, sawdust, and partially decomposed leaves. Any fresh, light-colored, unweathered organic mulch will tie up nitrogen during the early stages of decomposition.

Non-shredded leaves and grass clippings can form a thick mat that makes water penetration nearly impossible. If sawdust is used it should be well aged, otherwise it will be difficult for water to move into the soil. Uncomposted sawdust is low in nitrogen and will rob nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes.


With inorganic mulches, which include various types of stone, lava rock, pulverized rubber, geotextile fabrics, and other materials - they do not decompose and do not need to be replenished often. On the other hand, they do not improve soil structure, add organic materials, or provide nutrients. For these reasons, most horticulturists and arborists prefer organic mulches.

Mulching has many benefits to keeping your tree healthy and strong. If you have questions about the types of mulch to apply, ask your local arborist or even gardening center.

Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and Austin tree service trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.

Caring For Your Mature Trees

Trees can live for years, even hundreds of years. The oak or walnut can live as long as 200 to 300 years. This means these trees could be witness to up three or four generations of people. A tree of this age has great value and in that also requires great care.

With a little preventative care, your trees can last as long as this. And remember that curing a problem once it develops is much more difficult, time-consuming and costly than preventing one. So isn’t it worthwhile to give your trees regular maintenance to ensure that they are able to offer enjoyment and value for generations to come? If so, lets look at what kind of care a tree needs so that it can grow old graciously.

1. Tree Inspection – To start with your tree’s personal care, you should first have an inspection by a certified professional arborist. Tree inspection is an evaluation tool that will help determine whether the tree is in good or bad health or on the brink of anything disastrous. By providing regular inspections of your trees at least once a year, you can prevent or reduce the severity of future disease, insect, and environmental problems. A professional will evaluate your mature tree for four characteristics of tree vigor: new leaves or buds, leaf size, twig growth, and absence of crown dieback (gradual death of the upper part of the tree).

Any abnormalities found during these inspections, including insect activity and spotted, deformed, discolored, or dead leaves and twigs, will be noted and watched closely. The Arborist or other tree care professional will be able to determine the best solution for the tree’s condition.

2. Mulching - Mulching cools and contains moisture around the tree, which in turn can reduce environmental stress. Mulch can also prevent mechanical damage by keeping machines such as lawn mowers and string trimmers away from the tree’s base.

Mulch should be placed 2 to 4 inches deep around the tree and cover the entire root system, which may be as far as 2 or 3 times the diameter of the branch spread of the tree. If the area and activities happening around the tree do not permit the entire area to be mulched, it is recommended that you mulch as much of the area under the drip line of the tree as possible. When placing mulch, try not to cover the actual trunk of the tree.

3. Fertilization - Trees require certain nutrients (essential elements) to function and grow.
Fertilizing a tree can improve growth; however, if fertilizer is not applied wisely, it may not benefit the tree at all and may even adversely affect the tree. Mature trees making satisfactory growth may not require fertilization. When considering supplemental fertilizer, it is important to know which nutrients are needed and when and how they should be applied.

Soil conditions, especially pH and organic matter content, vary greatly, making the proper selection and use of fertilizer a somewhat complex process. When dealing with a mature tree that provides considerable benefit and value to your landscape, it is worth the time and investment to have the soil tested for nutrient content. Any arborist can arrange to have your soil tested at a soil testing laboratory and can give advice on application rates, timing, and the best blend of fertilizer for each of your trees and other landscape plants.

4. Pruning - Pruning is the most common tree maintenance procedure next to watering. Pruning is often desirable or necessary to remove dead, diseased, or insect-infested branches and to improve tree structure, enhance vigor, or maintain safety. Because each cut has the potential to change the growth of (or cause damage to) a tree, no branch should be removed without a reason.

Removing foliage from a tree has two distinct effects on its growth. Removing leaves reduces photosynthesis and may reduce overall growth. That is why pruning should always be performed sparingly. Over pruning is extremely harmful because without enough leaves, a tree cannot gather and process enough sunlight to survive. However, after pruning, the growth that does occur takes place on fewer shoots, so they tend to grow longer than they would without pruning. Understanding how the tree responds to pruning should assist you when selecting branches for removal.

Maintaining your trees into old age just requires a little patience and care, just like anything. In the end, you will have a beautiful and healthy addition to your landscape and life.

Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and Austin tree service trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.