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8 Fall Mulching Tips

Resources: Seasonal Tree Care, Tree Maintenance

8 fall mulching tips

Fall Mulching is one of the easiest, quickest, and most cost-effective things you can do to protect your trees through these upcoming cold months. Although mulch can be applied year-round, Fall is a critical time for mulching. Fall mulching helps increase moisture retention, insulate the soil, protect the tree’s roots from the cold, and suppress winter weeds. Properly mulching your tree this fall will help give your tree a leg up this winter and into next spring. Read on to learn our 8 Fall Mulching tips 

1. Mulch 2-4 Inches Deep

Your mulch should be about 2-4 inches deep. Most mulching you see probably is a lot deeper than this, as over-mulching is one of the most common mulching mistakes. It’s become a common industry practice for landscapers to pack 6-12 inches of mulch up around the base of the tree in order to make their customers happy; however, this over-mulching is very bad for your tree and can lead to many issues such as girdling root systems and root rot. If you want to receive all the benefits of mulching without the dangers of over mulching, make sure your mulch is only 2-4 inches deep!

2. Don’t Cover The Root Flare: AKA No Mulch Volcanoes!

Do not pile the mulch against the trunk of the tree like a mulch volcano. Instead, keep it away from the trunk so that the root flare zone is visible. When you pile up mulch over the root flare and against the trunk it can severely hurt the tree. When mulch actually touches the tree, as it does in mulch volcanoes, moisture is trapped and penetrates the bark suffocating the cells that transfer food throughout the tree. This moisture is also a breeding ground for rot, tree insects, and disease. Mulch volcanoes can also keep water from reaching the roots of the tree (where water is needed).

8 fall mulching tips

3. Mulch Out As Far As The Canopy Goes

The best mulching goes out as far as the tree’s canopy (referred to as the drip line of the tree). Mulching this far out covers the entirety of the tree’s critical root zone and helps it stay insulated during the cold fall and winter months. However, this isn’t realistic for most homeowners because 1) they don’t like the aesthetics of this and 2) for small properties with big trees, the tree canopies may extend into their neighbor’s yard or take up the majority of their property leaving no room for grass.

If mulching out as far as the canopy extends isn’t practical, our Arborists suggest applying mulch in a 2 to 3-foot radius around the tree instead.

8 Fall Mulching Tips

4. Avoid Mulch Touching Your House

Mulch is great for retaining moisture but unlike soil, house foundations don’t like moisture. If your mulch touches the brick/siding of your home it could cause issues with your foundation over time. In cases where trees or shrubs are close to your home, it’s best to leave a few inches between your mulch bed and your house to protect your foundation. 

5. Don’t Use Fresh Wood Chips On Young Trees

Do not use fresh wood chips for mulching around young trees. Fresh wood chips have a higher acidity which can alter the pH of the soil and can injury young trees. Since wood chips only alter the acidity a few inches deep into the soil, using them on older trees with well established deep root systems is not an issue. 

6. Don’t Use Plastic or Fabric Weed Barriers

Many homeowners have been taught to lay down plastic or fabric tarps before mulching to keep the weeds away.  Unfortunately, these don’t work as intended and can even have some negative side effects. These weed barriers can end up strangling plants and shrubs as they try to grow and negating the aeration benefit of mulch that reduces soil compaction. Instead, forego the weed barriers this year. Proper mulching itself will help keep out weeds.

7. Make Sure You Know What’s In Your Mulch

Many waste departments and landfills offer free or cheap mulch, which can be very tempting for homeowners wanting to keep their costs down. But beware of free or cheap mulch that comes from city waste departments.  These types of mulch can contain pesticides, dangerous tree diseases or pests, or even weed seeds. Instead make sure you know what goes into making your mulch and buy from a trustworthy source, like a local nursery.

8. It’s Never Too Late To Mulch

This time of year is perfect for fall mulching but if you end up procrastinating or your busy schedule gets in the way, don’t worry. It’s never too late to mulch. Even if you forget to mulch before the first frost or notice you’re halfway through January and still haven’t mulched you can still put mulch down. Unfortunately, the effect of mulch isn’t retroactive so if damage has been done mulching won’t fix it; however, in the case of mulching laying down mulch for part of the season is better than nothing. 

Now that you’ve read our 8 Fall Mulching Tips you’re ready to get mulching this weekend! And don’t forget there are other steps you can take to prepare your trees for winter, just check out our 5 Most Important Fall Tree Care Tips blog post. If you need help with your trees this fall give us a call at 703-573-3029 or book a consult online. 

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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