Gardening expert issues warning over widely prevalent landscaping mistake: 'Can cause a lot of damage'

One garden coach is warning tree lovers and owners to prevent a common, damaging landscaping mistake at the base of trees: overwhelming root flares.

Amy (@powers_plants) posted a video showing and describing how burying trees too deep can trick the tree into thinking the ground level has risen and "can cause a lot of damage to your tree."

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Standing in front of an elm tree in the Chicago area, Amy described how common this problem is. 

"Healthy trees have healthy root flares," she said.

After being dug up at the nursery, landscapers often plant trees too deeply. To top it off, Amy said they then "put a giant volcano of mulch up around the base of the tree," adding, "when the root flare gets buried, other roots will circle it and grow across it, and that will choke out water and nutrients from flowing up the tree. This can kill your tree."

To solve the problem, Amy called out a city arborist to restore the healthy root flare. 

The arborist pruned the top-level younger roots with clean cuts right at the base, leaving a healthy "horizontal root" that the tree created when it was a seedling at ground level. Now there won't be any problems with problematic roots choking away resources from the tree.

Overwhelming root flares with dirt, or the problematic mulch volcano, are in direct contrast to building and maintaining a healthy yard. This can also result in unnecessary expenses for excess mulch that suffocates your tree of vital resources.

Healthy trees can save you money by providing shade, which reduces area temperatures as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit to keep your house and community cool.

Installing a natural lawn can also help turn down the heat while providing other benefits. Compared to monoculture lawns, ground cover like clover or buffalo grass can reduce the need for lawn maintenance, lower water bills, and create a healthier ecosystem for pollinators, which ultimately protects the biodiversity of 75% of our food supply.

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn 🏡 Controlling weeds 🌿 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️ I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

A garden full of native plants can also help. Options in the Midwest region of the video include purple prairie clover, brown-eyed Susan, and sedges to fill in around walkways.

Users in the comments were appreciative of the tree-saving advice:

"Thank you!" one said. "So informative." 

"And the mulch volcanoes…gets me every time," another agreed. 

"Thank you for spreading the gospel," a third added. "From your friendly neighborhood arborist!"

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