Tree Tips

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How to Mulch Around a Tree

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Dear Readers,

Mulching is an important aspect of tree maintenance that is both functional and decorative, adding to your tree’s lifespan and helping it look its best. The main benefits of tree mulching are that it deters weeds, improves soil quality, protects trees from lawnmower damage, insulates soil from extreme temperatures, and retains moisture during hot weather. Today, I would like to talk about some tips and tricks on how to properly mulch a tree. At the top of this article is an instructional video hosted by ISA Certified Arborist Lindsey Rice that can be used to follow along while mulching your own tree!

Example of a properly mulched tree

Example of a properly mulched tree

To mulch a tree, you will need organic wood chip mulch, a shovel, a rake, and personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, gloves, and boots. A wheelbarrow or air spade may potentially be needed depending on the situation. The best time to mulch a tree is in the fall or spring. Many trees are incorrectly mulched when the mulch is too high or when it covers the root collar of the tree, which is where the trunk and roots meet. The mulch only needs to be 1 to 2 inches deep and the root collar should be completely exposed in order to properly receive oxygen. This will help prevent girdling roots, which are roots that wrap around the trunk in search of oxygen. This can suffocate a tree and add unnecessary stress. If your tree has girdling roots or a mulch volcano, you will need to resolve these issues prior to mulching.

If there are no girdling roots, the first step is to pull out any weeds surrounding the base of the tree. Then, you may begin applying mulch in a wide and evenly spread area. For younger trees, it is ideal to mulch all the way out to the canopy drip line, which is where the majority of a tree’s roots extend, but you may have to compromise depending on your landscape.

Example of a canopy drip line

Example of a canopy drip line

For older trees, this is not as important. You should still see similar results when bringing the mulch out about 3 to 5 feet from the base. You can use a rake, shovel, or your hands to evenly distribute the mulch. The mulch only has to be about 1 to 2 inches deep at most, so make sure you avoid mounding, Leave about 2 to 3 inches of space between the mulch and the root collar in order for the tree to properly receive oxygen and to prevent girdling roots. This will also help prevent any moisture issues, which can lead to disease and rotting. Afterwards, you are all set!

For maintenance, water your mulch whenever it looks dry. Ohio can have inconsistent weather, so there is no need to water it on a scheduled basis. Also, only add mulch whenever it is looking sparse and below that 1 to 2 inch needed depth. Make sure you break up, turn over, and mix in the old mulch to prolong the mulch’s lifespan, prevent any clumping, and to allow maximum movement of oxygen and water. If there are any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below and be sure to watch ISA Certified Arborist Lindsey Rice’s video for a visual guide on this topic! Good luck on your next mulching project!

Additional Reads!

Below are two excellent articles written by our ISA Certified Arborists related to mulch volcanoes and girdling roots.

”Mulch Mounds! Oh My!”
by ISA Board Certified Master Arborist José Fernández

“Are Your Trees Being Suffocated By Their Own Roots?”
by ISA Certified Arborist Chris Gill

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Enrique Arayata I Video Production Assistant, Russell Tree Experts

Enrique is a third year student at The Ohio State University majoring in moving image production with a double minor in photography and film studies. In his free time, he enjoys running, spending time with his girlfriend and family, photography, and creating YouTube videos.

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How to Verify a Certified Arborist Credential

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Recently, it was brought to my attention that there are some people performing tree work in the area claiming to be “certified arborists” when in fact, they are not. So… how can you tell if someone is telling the truth? One way is to ask for a business card or ask for their ISA Certified Arborist® credential number which will be in the following format: [state abbreviation] – [four digits] [letter]. Here is an example of a business card (mine!) with the credential number explicitly listed:

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The best way to verify this credential number is to search on the ISA Certified Arborist® database. Simply go to treesaregood.org, click the “Find an Arborist” section then choose “Verify a Credential.” From there, enter the credential certification number and submit the request to see if the credential is in fact genuine.

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Over my time working at Russell Tree Experts, I’ve sadly heard countless stories of “door knockers” coming by a person’s home and ruining their beloved tree. It’s a very sad occurrence in our industry and we hope through education these stories can lessen.

Improper tree work not only can cause irreparable damage to the tree or property, but there is also potential for spreading disease to nearby trees and affecting others’ landscapes. Tree care can also be very dangerous work, for both the property owner and the person doing the work. We highly recommend hiring an ISA Certified professional (even if it’s not us!) with the proper equipment, knowledge, and experience to perform your challenging tree work. The health of our environment relies on proper care for our trees so we may enjoy their countless benefits from improving air quality to providing homes for wildlife and beyond!

We’re very proud to have 19 ISA Certified Arborists® on our staff! Feel free to double-check their credentials at treesaregood.org! :)

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Lindsey Rice | Office Manager, Russell Tree Experts

Lindsey joined Russell Tree Experts in 2015 with a B.S. in Agribusiness and a minor in Horticulture from The Ohio State University. Growing up in Northwest Ohio, she participated in various sports, band, and FFA which ultimately inspired her love for the tree industry. She loves to spend her free time outdoors with her husband and daughters.

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New Disease Control Measures for Oak & Elm Trees

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… I hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying this sunshiny weather! I love being able to get outside with my girls and get some vitamin D and open our windows and get some fresh air. With spring around the corner, I wanted to bring to your attention that Russell Tree Experts is implementing some new Oak tree and Elm tree safety procedures to ensure the health and safety of these types of trees in the Columbus area.

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Where’s the Fruit?

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As an arborist, I often feel like I need to double as a detective. Trees, obviously, cannot tell us verbally how they are "feeling" or why they are behaving in a certain way. We have to look for clues as to what is possibly going on with them. When I am asked why a tree is performing poorly, oftentimes I need to swap out my helmet for a Sherlock Holmes cap and start digging around, asking questions of the tree's caretaker and standing back to observe the environment in which the tree exists.

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Understanding Conifers

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Understanding conifers should begin with a few simple definitions to clarify and classify. A conifer is a plant that bears its seeds in cones. When we hear the word cone, we likely think of pine and spruce trees, two types of coniferous trees that are widely found throughout Central Ohio and beyond. Their cones are obvious when they fall and scatter on the ground surrounding the tree. But did you know that yews (Taxus) and junipers are also conifers?

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How do you become a Certified Arborist?

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Have you ever wanted to become a Certified Arborist? The first step is developing an interest in trees: species, habits, ideal growing conditions, diseases, pests, structure, life cycle. An inquisitive mind is a great asset for any arborist. Any question about trees is a good question! Now that your curiosity is piqued, the next step in developing your arboreal skills is finding the answers!

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Leave Those Leaves!

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Of all of our seasons, I’ve heard more people proclaim their love of fall than any of the others. It marks an end to the uncomfortable heat of summer and traditionally represents a time when we reap the gifts of the harvest and prepare for winter. And for several weeks, our trees also gift us with a wonderful display of color. Everyone has a favorite - the brilliant orange of our native sugar maples, the rich yellow of the non-native maidenhair tree (Ginkgo), the reds, purples, and browns of oaks.

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What's Going on with My Oak? Part 2

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Earlier this year, we shared an article that highlighted two issues that were tied to recent weather patterns and had many homeowners concerned about their oak trees - one was an insect (Oak Shothole Leafminer) and another was a fungal pathogen (Oak Anthracnose). Combined, they made for unsightly leaves that were riddled with holes and brown patches. Fortunately, both issues were more of an aesthetic concern than anything else, and neither of them required treatment or had any lasting effects on the overall health of the trees. In fact, they are both likely to occur each year to some degree and should not be reason for concern.

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Best Practices for Watering Your Trees

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Last Fall I planted a Nikko maple (Acer maximowiczianum) for one of my neighbors. Somewhat uncommon, Nikko maple is a small statured, 20 - 30’ at maturity, trifoliate, hardy tree with nice fall color. It has good urban tolerance and was a good fit for its location with overhead utilities. I have been watering this tree somewhat regularly with a large watering can that I can easily carry across the street and have been pleased with the healthy appearance and good amount of new growth that has emerged this year. As far as I could tell the tree looked great so you can imagine my surprise when I came home recently from a long weekend getaway and discovered that the top half of the tree’s canopy had turned brown.

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How to Beat the Winter Blues

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I look out the window gazing upon the barren winter landscape. I miss the vibrant green leaves on my fragrant viburnums. I miss the beautiful red flowers on my roses. I even miss watching the bees in search of nectar dancing from one pesky dandelion to the next. Most of all I miss the sun and spending my evenings cultivating a new season’s garden. I feel safe to say I have succumbed to the winter blues…

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Bend So You Don’t Break

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Last summer, I had the opportunity to introduce our field staff to the practice of yoga. In heavy work boots and on a hard concrete floor, we made our way through Triangle Pose, Downward Facing Dog, and even a few Sun Salutations. Practicing yoga for 20 years and teaching it for the last 10, I’ve learned that the stretches and postures of yoga can help keep the joints and soft tissues of our body, like muscles and tendons, healthy and functional.

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Growing Degree Days

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This semester I am enrolled in a class called Integrated Pest Management, taught by Dr. Luis Cañas at The Ohio State University. One of the first lectures we had was centered around the effects that the environment has on insect populations. As we explored this theme we soon came across the concept of “growing degree days”, and I was reminded of how useful this idea is to increase awareness of what is happening in the natural world around us and to be aware of when potentially damaging insect pests are about to emerge.

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Oak pruning, fascinating tree facts, and other thoughts

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Here we are, fresh out of the holiday season, and the end of January is in sight! I wanted to reach out to you with some timely advice concerning trees, some reminders of why trees are so essential to life as we know it, and perhaps some other thoughts that might sneak out through my fingers as I type.

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"Can you recommend a tree that is not messy?"

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“Can you recommend a tree that is not messy? One that will not drop fruit, or twigs, or stuff all over the place.” This is perhaps the request I run into the most when someone wants advice on what trees to plant. The first time I heard this one I had to fight the urge to smile and reply that yes, there are trees like that which also happen to be disease-free, not attacked by any pest, grow quickly (instantly, in fact) to the desired size, shape, and color you want them to be and never need to be pruned…

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Drought Stress!

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The passing of time seems so fast that it can skew our perception of the present. In central Ohio, most non-farmers are still thinking about the record amount of rain fall we experienced this spring, so much so that we didn’t really pay attention when the wet spring turned into a dry, dry, summer and fall. I drive around large parts of town, regularly covering over 100 miles of road per day, and trees are what I notice…

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10 Trees with Amazing Fall Color... and One You Should Avoid!

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I was recently pruning trees in a newer neighborhood on the east side of Columbus where every house had two red maple in the front yard.  Although Red maple is a native tree to Ohio, this subdivision was planted with a cultivated variety of the species called ‘Red Sunset.’ ‘Red Sunset’ red maple was selected and well marketed for its compact habit, good branching structure and most notably for its showy and reliable orange to red fall color.

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Tree ID Quizzes

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We’re always looking for fun and exciting ways to educate our employees and customers. Below are two quizzes we initially made for our crews to improve their tree identification skills — now we’re making them available to you! Don’t worry if you get a question wrong, you’ll be informed of the correct answer right after each question! The quizzes feature over 40 common trees to central Ohio so you’ll be able to walk outside and quickly apply what you’ve learned.

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Take a Walk on the Wild Side (no, really!)

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When people in Japan coined the term ‘shinrin-yoku’ in 1982, they likely weren’t inspired by Lou Reed’s now classic 1972 hit. But shinrin-yoku, which translates in english to ‘forest bathing’, is a practice that takes us back to our wild side, back to experiencing the calming and healing qualities of the forest and all of the plants and animals that reside there.