Just when you think you've seen every possible gardening screw-up, someone comes along to remind you that it can always get stranger and more disturbing.
Such was the case on the r/arborists subreddit recently. A user posted a photo of tree roots in Brooklyn being suffocated by, of all things, freshly poured concrete.
"Tree will die, no?" the OP's simple caption read.
It seems almost unbelievable that someone would think to pour concrete, a material that is nearly impossible to dislodge once it is set, over a living, breathing organism like a tree. You almost have to hope it was a pure, absent-minded mistake.
While this is an extreme circumstance, it is somewhat similar to a rather common mistake that a lot of gardeners do make, which is the use of "mulch volcanoes."
Volcano mulching is a dangerous technique that essentially suffocates your plants and trees. It is not only harmful on multiple levels, but it's actually counterproductive.
Surrounding your trees with too much mulch can merely slow their growth in a best-case scenario, or suffocate and potentially kill them in a worst-case scenario, which can then have far-reaching effects on the local ecosystem.
Not to mention, using so much mulch on one tree is also simply a waste of money.
As far as saving money goes, one way to garden frugally is to install a native plant lawn. A natural lawn can also save you significant money and time on maintenance and can lower water bills as a result.
They also create a healthier ecosystem for pollinators, which ultimately benefits everyone, as pollinators protect our food supply. Even a partial lawn replacement can provide these same benefits, too.
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The cost 💰 Commenters were bewildered by the curious case of the cement tree. Some did try to provide actionable advice, like contacting a local parks department immediately, but many were just stunned.
"What kind of monster did this??" wrote one user.
"That tree must have pissed off the Mafia to have been fitted with cement overshoes," joked another Redditor.
Another response channeled Ron Burgundy: "That is an impressive lack of understanding of the fundamental properties of living organisms."
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