I just read an article that you shouldn't build up a garden around a tree. Meaning adding soil on top on what's currently there and then planting flowers/groundcovers,etc. In this article it says that planting around a tree is fine as long as you don't load any soil on top because in 10 years you'll kill the tree and since it takes so long, people don't make that connection.
Has anyone ever heard this?
ring around a tree...
I know we have added a ton of fill in this yard. I am talking like 8' of dirt if not more and some trees have taken a hit. This is regular trees elm, maple and birch etc. These are not fancy trees just trees you would find in the woods.
I can't tell you about minor adding of soil and flowers. GL
It suffocates the tiny feeder roots. They are now recommending trees be planted a lot less deep than years ago. I think shallow rooted trees like maples are much more effected but all trees to some extent will suffer and eventually die. The volcano effect at the trunk of a tree is from what I have read not a good thing.
Interesting.....
Leaves and needles don't form a dense soil. Water and air pass easily through them. Soil is easily compacted and does suffocate the roots, which are almost always in the top foot or so.
maybe the article is right..but i've only seen trees leap into life and fill every inch of garden around them with those feeder roots- especially shallow rooted trees like maples -- ash trees too are difficult to plant around. I guess i'm thinking from the garden point of view rather than the tree.. but in my experience its kind of a new lease on life for the tree! (unfortunately sometimes).. maybe they're talking 3ft of soil, or something
sarah
When we put in our new house, the ground level was raised up quite a bit. It was originally pretty level with the maple trees and there was nice grass growing there. Now there's a stone wall and new, raised soil.
We put in new grass and I did the beds against the house with shade plants (NW side). Well, much to my anger and annoyance, the Maple feeder roots came up through all the new soil! I
t has snuffed out most of the grass, and this past Fall I gave up on cleaning roots out of the beds and just left hostas in there.
The layer from leaf litter/needles I've heard called "ruff" before. It does let moisture pass through, and isn't as dense as dirt/soil/mulch. Also the "ruff" tends to biodegrade rather quickly. If you can't see the root flare, chances are the tree is suffocating. I'm learning way to much in this MG class (my head can explode from all the new input at times) but the "new"way to plant trees/shrubs is being changed (for a lack of a better word). It used to be that one would dig double the root ball, ammend the bottom of the planting whole, plant. Research is now finding out that the water tends to pool, roots spiral around, and the roots almost never go into the soil. Essentially becoming pot bound, in the ground!
---I hope I added something useful here? lol
Yes - now you plant it higher. Find the first lateral root and plant so it is at or just below ground level. I never believed in amending the hole - even when everyone recommended it. Just didn't make sense to me. Why would the roots 'want' to leave that ideal area and go out into the native soil??
Building those volcanoes around trees is deadly, as has been said before. Our radio gardening man, Ralph Snodsmith, speaks of it quite often.
I always see the mulch volcanoes. Contractors get an annual contract to mulch - so they do!
I cringe when I see the volcanoes. I almost want to exit my vehicle, after pulling over, and fix it when I see it! lol. I've had people tell me that it's good for their trees, I look at the tree in skepticism, because it has that straight "telephone pole" look to it. I've tried, and will have to take pics to prove it, to leave the root flare slightly expose on some of my JM's. I like that "bonsai" look. My Young's Weeping Birch, has a really neat looking root flare.
I would be cautious of digging around the drip line of a tree anyway, or even adding to it, it sort of defeats the purpose of said drip line; sort of just doesn't make sense to me.