Not all common landscaping practices are plant or tree-friendly, and a vocal arborist called out one particularly detrimental type of mulching in a TikTok, describing the practice as "literal tree abuse."
Christie Bryant (@speakingfortrees) is an Atlanta-based arborist, and in the clip, she has quite a lot to say about the highly controversial practice of "volcano mulching."
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"What? We don't —" a visibly exasperated Bryant began, gesturing at several evenly spaced trees. "Has Mother Nature ever planted a tree in a volcano?"
Behind Bryant, five or six identical trees were visible, each with the same mulch arrangement — volcano mulching — at the base of the tree.
In the clip, Bryant explained that trees "don't plant themselves" in that manner in wooded areas, which she added should be obvious, "especially if your job is planting trees."
A few commenters were unaware that volcano mulching was detrimental to trees. "I planted my maple without the volcano, and all of my neighbors have the volcano. I am so relieved my instincts were right," one remarked.
Others were well acquainted with the risk. "I wish I could stitch this. This is my Roman Empire," one commenter concurred.
According to Richmond Tree Stewards, volcano mulching is "an improper mulching technique where mulch is piled high against the trunk of a tree," and arborists warn that the practice can be fatal to trees.
Bryant's observation that trees "don't plant themselves" inside volcano mulch hints at the benefits of rewilding your yard or upgrading to a natural lawn. Rather than working against nature by trying to mold it to fit an aesthetic, working with nature is better for local ecosystems, and native plants are far less costly to maintain in the long run.
Further into her video, Bryant singled out a red maple tree, which she said was a popular but ill-suited choice for parking lots due to their prominent root systems. In this case, she demonstrated how the mulching technique exposed the tree's roots, which makes them vulnerable to lawn mowers.
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"Grab this mulch, pull it out to where the end of the roots hit the soil, and let the tree live its life," Bryant concluded. "This is literal tree abuse. This is cruelty."
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