Landscaper shares photo of concerning sighting along city street: 'A nightmare'

Stone, while aesthetically pleasing to line a garden with, is an eyesore when piled up beneath a tree. More than this, a pile of stones is a threat to a tree's health. 

One Reddit user posted a picture of a row of trees on a neighborhood street, each tree hindered by piles of stones.

"Stones," the Reddit user captioned the photograph. "They're just like mulch." 

Piles of mulch around a tree are called mulch volcanoes, and while there is no term for this phenomenon with stone, to call what the Redditor posted a "stone volcano" is appropriate.

Stone volcanoes, like mulch volcanoes, can negatively impact a tree's growth. 

One commenter replied, "Aren't they even worse too? IIRC (if I remember correctly) the sun makes the stones hot which can make the plants roots too hot."

Their notion is true. According to Central Florida Tree Care, rocks, especially darkly colored ones, absorb the sun's heat, which can damage tree roots. 

Similarly, both mulch and stones over roots suppress root growth. When roots are too deeply buried, according to Russell Tree Experts, root access to oxygen and water is limited. 

With impacted roots, trees may struggle to survive, and those that do continue to grow require extra care. 

This damage, while not always detrimental, could be avoided simply by keeping stones or excessive mulch away from a tree's root system.

What is your least favorite lawn chore? Mowing the grass 🌱 Blowing leaves 🍁 Blowing snow ☃️ Something else 🤔 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Instead of wasting money and the life of a tree by landscaping around the tree with rock and mulch, consumers could consider planting native wildflowers beneath their trees. 

Wildflowers, for one, do not obstruct tree root access to nutrients. Instead, they attract pollinators and require little effort. 

Consumers with wild yards save money on water and chemicals while also nourishing the planet and its most important little critters: the butterflies, bees, and more that protect our food supply. 

Unlike stones, wildflowers are gentler on the lawn and more beneficial to the consumer. 

One Reddit commenter said about rock volcanoes: "A nightmare for line-trimming the lawn edges."

Another commented, "Cooking them surface roots in the summer."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.