The University of Connecticut found itself on the receiving end of some social media jokes after a Facebook post cautioning against a commonly used landscaping tactic.
UConn's Facebook post discussed the perils of mulch volcanoes, a very commonly used landscaping technique in which mulch is piled around the bases of trees. Ostensibly, it's done to help keep moisture at the base of the tree, but as the post details, it does far more harm than good.
🚫 Stop the Mulch Volcanoes! 🚫 Piling mulch high around the base of a tree might look tidy, but it's terrible for tree...
Posted by UConn Extension on Wednesday, May 14, 2025
"Piling mulch high around the base of a tree might look tidy, but it's terrible for tree health," the post said, "These 'mulch volcanoes' trap moisture against the trunk, invite pests and disease, and can lead to root rot or girdling roots."
UConn's post nails the dangers of mulch volcanoes. The piled-up mulch can lead to rotting of both the roots and trunk of the tree, weakening it, but can also cause roots to grow around the base of the tree's trunk, essentially suffocating it from the outside.
Despite these dangers, mulch volcanoes remain an incredibly common landscaping technique, likely because it takes much less time and effort than the proper way to mulch a tree.
As UConn explained, the best way to handle mulch around a tree's base is in an even, 2-3 inch deep layer around the tree, with 3-6 inches of space from the base of the trunk, giving the tree space to breathe and keeping the trunk dry, while holding moisture near the roots.
However, the commenters were quick to call out the school for not practicing what they preach.
"Can this be shared with the contractor that does UConn landscaping?" one said.
"Tell that to the hired landscape folks who do uconn," said another, "I see mulch overused on campus…makes me cringe."
"Every year I want to scream at the landscapers who, by virtue of their 'profession' should know NOT to do this," said a third.
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