up to our eyeballs in mulch...

My poor attempt at humor...

There are two kinds of people in the world, those that walk by and say "Ewww, that mulch stinks!" or those of us that willingly take in the beautiful aroma of spring mulch! Besides the return of the robins song, there is no better sign that spring is here then seeing crews laying fresh mulch!

Believe it or not, mulch is a heavily debated subject in the tree industry. Everyone has their opinions; mulch, don't mulch, mulch a lot, mulch a little, mulch this, don't mulch that. There have even been numerous studies at Missouri University on the effects of mulch on trees! Needless to say, mulch is serious business, so we treat it as such.

First and foremost lets discuss mulch origins. Our mulch is carefully chosen for its quality and its environmental impact. We chose our mulch from a vendor that uses by-products of wine barrel production, so no trees are harvested to produce our mulch! This is very important to us and we take pride in that fact!

Second, we are certain to apply mulch in a way that is both visually aesthetic, and also beneficial to the tree in multiple ways. Mulch applied correctly can frame the landscape, provide nutrients for plantings, assist in drainage, moisture retention, and ward off disease!

Using the "two-finger" method to remove mulch from contacting the trunk.

This will help suppress disease transmission and trunk "rot."

Mulch around trees should not exceed two inches in depth. one to two inches is perfect to help retain moisture in the root zone, and help suppress weeds. Also, the wider you can make your mulch rings, even beyond the drip line of the tree, the better. This will ensure the root zone is not competing with weeds, and some weeds and turf can even harm the tree!

Mulched trees really make a landscape stand out.

As you travel around campus you will notice a raised "ring" at the outside radius of our mulch rings. This serves many purposes. This ring helps retain moisture in the root zone of newly planted tress, forming a dish. It also helps protect our trees from the dreaded disease "Lawn Mower Blight." In other words, it acts as a deterrent to mowers and other equipment from bumping into the fragile trunks of our campus trees.

Forests floors are full of leaves, branches that have fallen from trees, and rotting stumps. The forest makes its own mulch, but when we keep our yards tidy, we often pick up these items and deprive our trees of natural organic nutrients. Mulch can replace those nutrients and make your yard look great! Besides, you need an excuse to go outside anyways!