Small trees in a home setting can have significant advantage over their wild cousins in terms of moisture, nutrients and position of importance. But they can also have significant disadvantages, including abuse by mowers and weed trimmers and competition from turf grass for the available water and nutrients.
Many of us, because of aesthetic preference or lack of thought, do not clear the turf grass back from the trees in our lawn. Then we try to mow as closely as possible or - even worse for the tree - abuse it with a string trimmer when we finish up the lawn. The damage is obvious if the tree dies but not so obvious when it merely develops more slowly or in an unbalanced shape.
One option is hand trimming around trees. An easier option is to clear the grass back about 18 inches from small trees and cover the bare ground with 2 to 4 inches of bark mulch. This arrangement can look just as good as having grass all the way to the tree, and the tree will be much healthier. The circle of mulch enables us to attend to any special nutrient needs of the tree and there is less competition from aggressive turf grass.
For the first year or two after a tree has been planted, maintain a raised ring of soil at the outer edge of the mulch circle. By creating this dyke effect, you will reduce the time required to water the tree and give the water time to soak in rather than run off.
Bill Gates, Smith County Master Gardener
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