Pennsylvania Sedge grass around a crabapple tree
Happy Arbor Day! How to kill your tree!
Now WHY would I tell you how to kill your tree? So you DON’T. I don’t have enough fingers to count the ways you can, but I will share some of the most common.
Number 1 – Poor planting
Ancestry Oak planted with the root flare buried
A University of Minnesota Extension Educator talked about all the trees she sees that look like fence posts. They are planted way too deep with no chance of those wonderful surface roots to receive what they need to, not only survive, but thrive!
The Ancestry Oak was purchased through the City I live in and planted by a volunteer group. Unfortunately, it was not done properly. The good news is, the tree could be saved, the area was dug out about 4 inches until the surface roots were uncovered. Trees are tough and can be resilient when cared for.
Below is another example of a tree being planted too deep by a company that was hired by the City it’s in after roadwork. It looked like a fence post. Some of the surface roots were starting to circle. There is also the wire basket still in the soil. The company didn’t remove it. Hopefully after uncovering the flare it will manage the wire as there are larger openings.
Tree planted too deep by a company
Number 2 - Nicking your tree with the lawn mower
Riding lawn mower damage
Busy people don’t often take the time to take care of how they mow or weed whip. This is an option especially for those with riding lawn mowers.
The soil was removed about 14 inches out from the trunk
Full disclosure, that’s my tree on the property line with my neighbor. Yes, I got permission. I dug out a circle about 14 inches from the trunk and will keep it free from weeds. I will leave it “naked” so that the neighbor can easily mow around it.
Pro tip: if you don’t want to worry about mowing around a tree, plant some type of no-mow grass around it. The cover photo for this article shows Pennsylvania Sedge grass planted around a crabapple tree.
Number 3 – Burying the surface roots – or otherwise tampering with them
This Extension Educator told the story of how a woman called to ask if she could chop off the tops of those roots in the lawn around her maple tree. Quick answer: NO! Those roots are vital to the long life of your tree. Are they annoying when you want a pristine lawn? Yes, but that tree also provides your home with so much more.
Linden tree roots photo by Faith Appelquist
Other ways to kill your trees include:
- Using rock as a mulch. It heats up and can burn the surface roots, it’s also heavy.
- Mulching like a volcano (this tends to encourage surface roots to wrap around the tree rather than grow outward). Remember to mulch like a donut, especially when you are first planting. This step will ensure moisture retention, soil temperature stability and may also help keep wildlife from nibbling on new trees.
- Using chemicals around the tree to kill the weeds. That’s another story the Educator had. Someone was very proud of how they had used weed killer in a perfect circle around their trees to kill the weeds while not using any other kind of mulch. This person did it for a few years at least twice a year. That person then called the Educator to find out why his tree looked like it was dying.
Top tip for a healthy tree environment in your neighborhood: Diversity! With Dutch Elm disease we saw our boulevards become naked when all those Elms died. Now with Emerald Ash Borer we are seeing all those Ash trees that took the place of the Elms dying. Soon our boulevards will become naked again. Don’t plant the same thing as all your neighbors. That way, if an insect or disease strikes again (a likelihood) at least the whole neighborhood isn’t struck.
Talk with tree experts! Yes, they have them at Gertens. In fact, take a look at Brad planting a bare-root fruit tree:
Plant well and prosper!
