05/31/2026
Volcano mulching and the problem with planting trees too deep. Here's yet another example of a tree that is dying due to being planted too deep as well as being mulched up its trunk.
These street trees were planted with water capture rings around them, in an effort to make watering easier for the residents. This tree was planted too deep, and also had its ring filled with mulch, causing the tree's surface roots and root flare to rot. The result: the bark is splitting up the trunk and the top is beginning to die.
I see this allllll the time, especially in commercial parking lots. Trees are planted in narrow boulevards above the level of the parking lots, and are mulched yearly up the trunks of the trees.
Last year Home Depot had the mulch scraped away, this year Costco did it but did not rectify the problem of the surface fibrous roots being buried.
If you are concerned that a tree you have may be buried too deep, pull back the soil or mulch until you can see the root flare. If there are small roots growing out of the trunk above the flare, they can be trimmed off.
