I like the natural look of my trees without mulch..we do our own yard work and my husband is trained (by me) to keep power tools away from the trees haha..we aren't trying to achieve a manicured look..it would be hopeless lol..a fall pic of our wooded lot..wouldn't a hundred mulch rings look ugly?..edited to say in a more formal garden with more turf and fewer trees mulch in moderation could look nice and serve a purpose..

When I saw the picture of a huge pile of mulch against the tree trunk, I immediately junked the article. I can say this.....I've had career long arguments with landscape architects (sometimes the worst) and designers who have had zero education about soil systems, root systems, and plant physiology. These people have little interest in anything but what the project looks like as they collect payment and walk away.

One year....five years, ten years after, who cares?

It makes me a bit ill that there is any question about the benefits that a layer of mulch provides when planting into a non-forested, developed property.

Wow! Nicholsworth55, your yard is beautiful!!!

ilovemytrees..thank you!..I should have your username haha..a backyard pic when the trees have leaves..shady enough?..lol

actually.. trees create their own mulch under trees .. once we step away from that and add lawn .. well.. its all down hill from there ...

when you have a riding lawnmower ... mulch rings give the idiot on the rider.. a bit of leeway in not damaging the tree ... and yes.. its me driving.. lol ... pushing a mower is much more controlled.. most of the time.. lol ...

and dont even get me started on the moron with the weedwhip .. i just dont know what the heck he is thinking sometimes.. lol

ken

Ken, my dh killed one of my baby lilacs while weed-eating a few weeks ago. He completely sliced it in half, well more than half. He thought it was part of the weeds.

I didn't criticize him though because he didn't criticize me when I accidentally ran over our 4ft tall lilac last year, with the riding mower.

So, whether it comes to weed eating or the mower, dh and I are in a class by ourselves. lol

ken..the fallen leaves are the perfect mulch in my opinion..they break down into a soft carpet and smother SOME weeds and make it possible to walk everywhere not stepping in mud..my neighbor hires someone to blow every bit of debris off his property to the street and haul it off..then has a truckload of mulch delivered and dumps it everywhere..I don't get it..not attractive in my opinion..and not as eco friendly as what we do..

ilovemytrees..maybe both of you should slow down a little..lol

There are many ways to landscape and a variety of things you can use to do that. Mulch is one of them and has it's place. Like another tool in the tool box. But just because you own a wrench, that doesn't make you a mechanic. Same with garden tools.

Someone with years of experience may do something just to experiment and fail but that's not the same as someone with no knowledge doing something wrong out of ignorance and failing. They both learn something (hopefully) but on different levels.

Tell me about it! I was making too sharp a right turn around the lilac and when I tried to straighten up the mower, it was simply too late, because I was mowing so fast, and the mower ran right through the middle of the lilac.

Bill..neighbors are nice people..just have no desire to work on their landscaping..the wife is NEVER outside and he does the very minimum..

iiovemytrees..haste makes waste is so true..lol..applies to everything not just landscaping..

Bill..neighbors are nice people..just have no desire to work on their landscaping..the wife is NEVER outside and he does the very minimum..

Sorry my comment was not directed to what you said but to the original topic. :-)

I use mulch for newly planted (cypress/cedar/or pine nuggets... something that lasts a couple years or three-years) but as soon as they decompose I don't add mulch ever again.

Dax

Bill..I guess what I was trying to say was my neighbors aren't interested in garden knowledge..or making much effort..but they are willing to pay people to do things that they think make their house and garden look better..I wish they would ask my opinion lol

As you can see, I use a combination of mulch rings (around individual trees) and landscape beds (around clusters where mowing or weedeating becomes problematic or time consuming). Doing so cut the time involved from 2 full days to one long-ish day. With the benefit of reduced injury to the trees. I also have a tad bit more to my landscape than most people.

Ken, for the record, the trees in the first photo are two years from planting.

Whaas, you use language that indicates you think the author of the article you linked is misguided, and you, without any input from anyone else, can refute enough of his points to make his whole article nothing more than personal choice. You like this color, you like mulch rings, or not. Personal preference, no defence required, strictly opinion.

I'd advocate for greater use of mulch rings. Reduced injury to trees due to mower blight, greater ease of yard maintenance over the course of the year. Lower water use...based on other posts you have put up, this alone should sway your opinion and close the book. Reduced weed competition, where that matters. That's my opinion, short version.

Do you maintain the rings over time? That's a different question and assumes that conditions...and opinions, preferences, or willingness, don't change. So much about how people answer this question is subjective. So many of the reasons used to support their opinions are at least subjective, if not open to interpretation, or even being considered frivolous if you don't agree with the initial premise.

I can't use mulch in my yard, because of voles. I suffered, over a few years, almost a $1k of damage from them, and I won't risk that happening ever again. Ever since I quit using it I haven't had one instance of vole damage.

I know mulch has many benefits, and I wish I could use it, but I have to deal with the hand I've been dealt with.

For cultural reasons mulch should be a permanent feature of tree and shrub plantings whenever possible. However large, long established trees in lawns look best with grass coming right up to them, whenever this can also be managed. And not coming out of circles of dirt or mulch.

Bill..I guess what I was trying to say was my neighbors aren't interested in garden knowledge..or making much effort..but they are willing to pay people to do things that they think make their house and garden look better..I wish they would ask my opinion lol

Therein lies the problem, paying people that are only interested in 'wowing' the customer. Some of the things I've seen that were done by our local tree nursery makes you shake your head. And then all the copy cats that do it the same just because the nursery does it. I've just learned to keep my mouth shut as all they do is get indignant and angry if you try to tell them anything. <:(

Just trying to get some dialog going here otherwise I'm going to post a tree identification or help what happened to my tree post. Wait, I already did!

You've lost me. What specific aspect are you interested in talking about here?

Bill..I can see my neighbors agreeing with whatever is suggested..which could be good if the landscaper is skilled..but that's not always the case..

Don't have time to really read this whole thread, but...

"For cultural reasons mulch should be a permanent feature of tree and
shrub plantings whenever possible. However large, long established trees
in lawns look best with grass coming right up to them, whenever this
can also be managed. And not coming out of circles of dirt or mulch."

Agree completely, but I am convinced from my observations of my own plantings, that for the first few years, new trees and shrubs grow better when they are not competing with grass for water and nutrients. Granted I let my grass grow longer than most people...a hideous scalped "lawn" of tiny crabgrass and Microstegium plants is the default yard around here. I set my Kubota MMM on the highest defined setting - so maybe my grass is more vigorous than most people's lawns. It does have an impressive root system when you have to do a bit of "sod cutting" around here, easily going down 5-6 inches.

We can't grow grass here without using way more water than makes sense. I have never had any grass. All of my trees are mulched; the entire garden is mulched. Mulch is my 'grass'.

Sara..I remember seeing entire front yards of gravel in San Mateo CA when I lived there years ago..still see that?..I would prefer mulch..

I'm in the mulch for new transplants group. Once a tree is taller than me maintaining a huge mulched area is too much effort. It rains here and the stuff floats down hill.

In naturalistic areas I leave the leaves in place. It is less effort, rebuilds the soil and fights some of the weeds.

Heck, in the yard I just mow up the leaves lol. Path of least labor for a positive result.

I did not read the artical but I thought mulch circles were completely benificial for establishing trees, and if practical would be a good thing for older trees too -- the forest floor is "mulched". I understood it to be a well researched truism. I can understand not wanting the extra work to maintain them certainly.

I went with mulch for my new trees mostly because I have to water frequently during the hot part of the summer (silty sand soil). That meant I had to mow the grass around the small trees 2-3 times for every once I'd mow the rest of the lawn (I usually mow lawn once a week). And the fact that the grass was sucking up a fair share of water all made no sense.

Now with mulch I only mow once a week. So even though the roots are now outside the mulch ring, I'll keep the rings until the trees won't need regular supplemental watering (hopefully in a couple more years).

Here is my little Spruce that grew 16" this year and 16" last year and about 12" and 8" the 2 years before. Been in for 5 summers now (started out at 12" tall). :-)

I am a big fan of mulch for all the reasons listed previously........avoids mower and trimmer damage, keeps down weeds and other plants that can compromise establishment, holds in moistures, evens out temps, etc., etc., etc. Having said that, in general I am not a fan of tree mulch rings :-) But that is because I don't care for trees planted in isolation in the middle of a lawn - that's not how trees grow naturally and IMO it looks awkward and without context. I much prefer have a tree being the focal point of a mixed planting area, with smaller shrubs, perennials, groundcovers or even other trees as part of the mix. And the entire planting area is then of course mulched.

In a large arboretum or park or cemetery, individual trees in the middle of an expanse of turf may be appropriate. Or if planting an orchard of fruit trees or street trees in a parking or hell strip. But in a standard residential garden, I really dislike trees with mulch rings polka dotted around the yard. And even more so with a colored mulch present (sorry, Bill).

Wayne, not sure if you're getting fancy there or not so let me elaborate.

My issue with the article was that the author used an exaggerated image out of the gate to proliferate the case against mulch rings. It didn't take in consideration plant establishment for shade/lawn trees, size of ring, proximity of ring to other rings and number of rings. In addition the application and types of trees (beech vs oak) aren't considered either.

I too prefer to tie plants together in a bed, however on large properties, rings may be appropriate for shade trees (especially during establishment) where its not feasible to maintain a planting bed either strictly on time, cost or proximity.

For example I have a Katsura in the one low spot in my yard. However its the furthest away (300' from a spigot) and there will certainly be periods of drought. I plan to have a big ass mulch ring as it ages to keep the grass from sucking moisture. Go 75' slightly uphill and I have a Chinkapin Oak with a small mulch ring. 5 years from now it won't have a mulch ring as its a deep rooted drought tolerant species.

Yes all opinions we get that. I'm just looking for dialog for those to share their experiences.

Speaking of opinions, yes Bill the red has to go! lol
Maybe go gold and you'll have green and gold.

But in a standard residential garden, I really dislike trees with mulch rings polka dotted around the yard. And even more so with a colored mulch present (sorry, Bill).

Not a problem. :-) The only bulk mulch I could get at the time was colored (brown, gold or burgundy) and I let the wife make the choice. But even she said it looked more red than she thought it would be, once it was installed. Good news is it will be faded out by next year and like I said, my reason for mulch rings isn't because they look good (see my post above) and I won't be keeping them once I feel the trees can be left mostly on their own.

Whoever invented dyed mulch has a lot to answer for!! What on earth were they thinking??

At least blue or green were not available choices :-))

Red isn't actually too bad depending on design and house colors but it does fade to pink. My main reason for not liking it.

'At least blue or green were not available choices :-))'

At least green would've matched the grass. :-)

The day I decided to do this, mulch could not be found anywhere in my town. So I went to the only nursery outside of town and they wanted 2 prices for the bagged stuff. I asked if I would bring my own trailer and fork the bulk stuff on myself, could I get a better price? They agreed and I got the job done.

The brown or gold would've been a better choice bc they both tend to become a more neutral color in a short time.

But at least I should have the same winter protection as non colored. Something I'm sure that PNW Z8/9 doesn't have to worry about. :-)

Red isn't actually too bad depending on design and house colors but it does fade to pink. My main reason for not liking it.

From what I've seen, the red mulch from this nursery has never turned pink. Just loses it color and the wood turns weathered and kind of bland after a season or two.

You have to refresh with a thin layer on top each year if you really like the red and want to keep it that way.

All that matters is that you got them mulched!

I was a slave yet again to the hose today and noticed the grass was creeping back into the mulch. Seems to grow where you don't want it to and won't where you want it to!

I'm out, totally.

There are many other ways to protect a tree from an overzealous lawn mower than a mulch ring. I have a ring of tree stumps around one of the trees in my yard. I have a weeping tree that we do not mow under at all because its lower branches touch the ground. There is decorative fencing that can be used to encircle a tree, and a ring of large rocks works as well.

The concept of raking up grass clippings and fallen leaves for disposal, while replacing this natural and nutrient rich mulch with bagged mulch laced with chemicals, dyes, and who knows what all else is alien to logic.

Good example of juvenile trees that could benefit from a layer of mulch to keep the grass from sucking up the few 1/4" rainfalls we've received since July.

---"Had you considered that a lot of people DON'T rake their grass clippings and fallen leaves and use wood chips right from the chipper? "-----

Yes I have, and these are not the people I referred to in my post.

----".a lot of people find the circle of rocks and decorative fencing a bit tacky."-----

Do you consider these "tacky?"

I guess "tacky" is in the eye of the beholder.

OK I'll grant you that my "stump garden" might be called "tacky" but then some of us embrace the "tacky." (The flowerpots are gone now and the stumps are disintegrating but they have served their purpose and guarded my young tree from ponies, dogs, and careless lawn mowers, allowing it to grow into a healthy adult, able to stick up for itself.)

This weeping tree's branches keep the mower man at bay. We don't mow under it and it has its own eco-system beneath its branches. It is a lovely tree, healthy and happy.

I will say that in a very dry area, mulch serves a purpose. If I lived in such an area I might use mulch, but it would be an organic mix of leaves, grass clippings, and/or wood chips from a sawmill, not a dyed, chemical laden concoction from Home Depot or Lowes.

'bagged mulch laced with chemicals, dyes, and who knows what all else '

'not a dyed, chemical laden concoction'

@spedigrees

That's twice you lumped "dye" and "chemicals"into what's contained in colored mulch.

Just an FYI: The red mulch I bought has iron oxide to color the red mulch and carbon black to color the black mulch. Thats a far cry from implying there's also dangerous chemicals and "other things" included. Please, If you are trying to make a case against something, include only valid information with related links so we all can learn about the issue. Thanks!

Edit: was interupted before I finished my comment so had to come back and finish.

Some additional information about what's in mulch.

https://www.thespruce.com/is-dyed-mulch-safe-to-use-2131983

https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/is-your-mulch-safe-heres-how-to-find-out/

There is little concern about the dyes used with the mulch product - virtually all are organically based. What may be of concern is the mulch that is being dyed. Dyed mulch is usually - but not always - a recycled wood product, typically shipping pallets, construction waste and mill scraps. Shipping pallets in particular can be an issue as they are used for all manner of products, including chemicals, and are often contaminated as a result. It has also been known to include ground up pressure treated (CCA) lumber, now no longer on the market place. The article linked to below states a case in FL where dyed mulches were found to contain significantly high levels of arsenic.

Other than aesthetic unpleasantness, there ARE some valid reasons why dyed mulches may not be the best for you or your garden.

Colored Mulch Info sheet

Are Colored Mulches Safe?

Thanks for those links GG. I learned more about mulch today than all the previous years of my life! :-)

My preference so far, in all of the mulches I've tried, is the bark nugget mulch. It spreads out easily, looks great under my pine and spruce trees and doesn't have the danger of getting any that's been treated. Once dry weather prevails it does blow away a bit more easily than other mulches, that's been the main drawback I noticed.

Why would we worry about trying to keep opinions based on things we can prove? It's much more interesting, not to mention so much less time consuming to assume anyone who doesn't share your opinion deserves pejorative adjectives.

Of course, my home town has a giant statue of a foot right next to the highway. Don't blink, you'll miss the town...the foot on the other hand...

Oh Wayne, please post a photo of the foot! I need to see this! And thanks for your thoughtful posts. I'm wondering why several of the folks who participated in this thread think that mulch = shredded wood or bark. We get a very nice fluffy, screened compost from the county that makes a fine mulch. Sure, wood mulches are longer lasting. In my climate, compost needs to be applied twice a year while wood or bark mulch lasts a full season. Shredded leaves applied in the fall are gone by spring. That doesn't mean that applying compost or shredded leaves is a waste of time - their disappearing act is actually a good thing. But if you want low maintenance, go with bark.

Northern Virginia is the land of shredded bark mulch - everything gets a little bark mulch ring here. Trees, lamp posts, and mailboxes are all mulched. Yeah, we even mulch inanimate objects. So bark mulch - and lots of it! - looks normal here and I'm a weirdo for using compost. I can live with that.

Dyed mulch is popular with some kinds of landscaping. I talk about it on my [Detergent Box Color Scheme [(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/detergent-box-color-scheme-dsvw-vd~4814919?n=15)thread.

Colors aside, one benefit of wood mulch that would cause me to use it on small trees, even if there were no other benefits (and this is expressed a lot of times as 'moisture conservation' but let me expand on that). In my case, sandy soil and 16 hrs./day with no shade other than small immature crowns of these small trees, soil temperatures around the tree will rise to the point it's no longer beneficial or healthy for tree growth. It will literally drive moisture from the soil at those elevated temperatures and what I call 'cook' the root system. Now that's a major consideration imo and I've found that nothing works better to protect the ground then a 1" or so layer of coarse wood mulch (lighter color is preferable).

My daughter thought it would be funny to delete all my posts from all my recent activity so I can't even find what I said.

So slap on the wrist on choice of words. As I mentioned the point is to share experiences not debate opinions vs fact. Which by the way opinions or experiences can certainly disprove otherwise conventional wisdom or call it fact at some point.

'My daughter thought it would be funny to delete all my posts '

It was kind of funny. :-))

google vining, mn and search for images. or really big foot

Thanks, Wayne! That foot is quite distinctive. I particularly like the pliers sculpture.