Lawn lovers will do anything to keep their plants and yard looking nice, but sometimes it's what not to do that can really keep your plant-life thriving.
In a TikTok video posted by Arborist Tune (@aborist.tune.44), the user shares how using too much mulch and piling it around a tree can cause deadly damage to your gorgeous greenery.
@arborist.tune.44 Say no to mulch volcanoes around your #trees! 🌋❌🌳 #mulch #tree #care #arborist #learnontiktok #fyp #nature #plants ♬ original sound - Arborist Tune
"This is known as a mulch volcano," the user says, showing a tree with a large amount of mulch piled up against the base of it. "This is one of the worst things you can do for your trees," they continue.
Mulch volcanoes can be seen all over, despite their increasingly known ability to damage trees. A homeowner shared that once they dug up their mulch volcano, the tree's roots had grown into the mulch, not the soil.
Arborist Tune shared more concerns with mulch volcanoes. "It locks moisture against the tree's trunk, which wants to be dry. Over time, mulch volcanoes will cause decay and rot … making it easy for pathogenic fungi, diseases, and insects to move into your tree," the user says in the video.
An observer of mulch volcanoes took matters into their own hands, digging up the buried tree trunk. Arborist Tune recommends using mulch, but only as is appropriate — not covering the root flare of the tree, where the tree's major structural roots are visible above ground.
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"You can extend your mulch circle as far as you want as your tree grows, and you can even put other native plants under the tree's shade," the TikToker adds.
Adding native plants to your lawn — in a process called rewilding — is another key way to keep your lawn healthy, while giving back to your surrounding outdoor ecosystem. Native plants will benefit the local pollinators, which in turn keep your plants and the local food supply healthy, improving human life and limiting your lawn maintenance. Plus, native plants will require less added water or toxic chemicals to thrive. That means less money spent by the homeowner.
Commenters shared the poster's concern for mulch volcanoes, with one asking, "Why do people make mulch volcanoes if it's bad for the trees?"
Another user responded, saying, "They mulch every year and don't remove old mulch, so it piles up."
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Someone else responded to the video, adding, "Thanks, never knew that!"
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