The Business End
By SUSAN BARTON
University of Delaware
Extension Specialist

Stop mulch mounding

5.01.2008

I know this is like preaching to the choir, but since I have defined one measure of success in my Cooperative Extension career as the elimination of mulch mounds, I want to leave no stone unturned and no audience unassailed.
So, if your company participates in the heaping on of mulch around the base of trees in the spring, get them to stop! If you know people who participate in this practice, spread the word that mulch mounds harm trees.
Moist mulch piled up against the trunk of a tree will cause decay that provide a perfect environment for the development of disease or insect infestation. All you need is a thin layer of mulch to prevent light from reaching the soil and prevent germination of annual weed seeds. Perennial weeds will grow up through even a thick layer of mulch. Mulch should be applied to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and no deeper! Do your part to educate the uneducated on this mulch issue!

EDITOR’S NOTE: This plea was posted on www.kentcoopextension.blogspot.com/ and is reprinted with permission of the author.