Mulch Volcanoes - How Much Mulch Is Too Much?

Benefits of Mulch:

Mulching is a great technique to utilize when caring for trees. Mulching reduces evaporation from the soil, moderates extremes of temperature, prevents compaction of soil, stabilizes soil moisture, controls weeds and erosion, and promotes soil microorganism activity. However; too much of a good thing is never actually good. Learn more about mulching

Why Too Much Is Bad:

In this case piling up mulch around a tree forming what looks like a mulch hill or mulch volcano can severely hurt the tree. When mulch actually touches the tree, like 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 tree insects and disease. Mulch volcanoes can also keep water from reaching the roots of the tree (where water is needed).

Proper Mulching Tips:

Size: A ring anywhere from a 2- or 3-foot radius around the trunk
Depth: About 2-4 inches

Do not pile the mulch against the trunk of the tree, keep the mulch 4″ away from the trunk, so that the root flare zone in visible.
To refresh the look of mulch, lightly rake the top layers of the mulch, or simply remove the old mulch and replace with new mulch.
Do not use fresh wood chips for mulching around young trees, fresh wood chips have a higher acidity and can injury a young tree.

Grey Burkhart

March 29, 2022.

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

March 8, 2022.

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

February 23, 2022.

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

January 26, 2022.

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

January 20, 2022.

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

January 3, 2022.

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

December 16, 2021.

Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.

Mike Iger

David Roberts

December 15, 2021.

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

December 10, 2021.

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.

<img class=" wp-image-1192 alignright lazyload" src="https://rtectreecare.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Mulch-Volcano-Meme-239x300.jpg" alt="Mulch Volcano Meme" width="251" height="315">Benefits of Mulch:

Why Too Much Is Bad:

Proper Mulching Tips:

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Benefits of Mulch: