The Importance of Mulch When It Comes to Trees
Mulch is a very important contributor toward the health of trees for a number of different reasons. Many people don’t realize or overlook the importance of mulch for trees. Try to remember the last time you walked through the forest. If you can recall, the ground near trees was probably covered with twigs, leaves, dead flowers, rotten wood and more. This can be much thought of as mulch. The key here is that it cools and shades the soil helping to add organic matter or nutrients which help trees grow and prosper.
However in this case, we’re talking about trees that most likely belong to a homeowner that are located on property surrounded by grass which don’t have natural year-long mulch. Since these types of trees bear very little similarity to the trees in forested areas described above, they require constant or proper mulching year round. This helps to almost duplicate the surrounding conditions to keep a tree healthy.
A good bed of mulch should extend at least three feet out from the base of the tree trunk. The best type of mulch you can use usually consist of wood chips, ground bark, leaves, pine needles, compost, straw and even grass clippings.