The Home of Garden Information, part of the University Extension, has highlighted the problems posed by mulch volcanoes, a landscaping technique that poses a risk to trees. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), trees are key to improving sustainable gardening, especially native trees that are important to pollinators such as birds, butterflies, and bees. Read on to learn more.
Helpful video abput the harm mulch volcanoes
The University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center posted a useful video about the harm mulch volcanoes cause to trees. In the YouTube video, a profesional from the center explained that mulch volcanoes have turned into “an epidemic in landscaping” and cause damage to the health of trees over time. The expert detailed that a mulch volcano is a huge mound of mulch that has been piled around the base of a tree.
Piling mulch this high and this near to the trunk covers the root flare and makes the roots to grow up the trunk in attempt to find of oxygen and nutrients. The roots can at some point wrap around the trunk, in specific strangling it. More over, the trapped moisture can cause the bark to rot.
In addition, to causing harm to the tree, mulch volcanoes need a lot of mulch, which is a waste of money, especially by the time you consider that you will at some point have to place again the tree.
Benefits from the trees
Trees fit out many positive benefits, from cleaning the air we breathe to providing shade and cooling, which lowers surface and air temperatures, per the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Being close to trees is also good for our mental health.
Planting native trees aid not increasing the cost of maintaining a garden and at the same time providing essential habitats for insects, birds, and small mammals. Native trees are adapted to local conditions, so they don’t need a lot of care. This aids you reap the benefits of having trees in your yard while reducing the quantity of time you need to spend maintaining them.
Native plants to support pollinator populations
Traditional lawns guzzle water and send water bills skyrocketing. According to the EPA, landscape irrigation accounts for close to one-third of all residential water use, which totals nearly 9 billion gallons every day. Native plants also support pollinator populations, which are in decline. Pollinators such as birds, bees, and butterflies are essential for fertilizing many crop plants we grow, which is important for food security.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Best fragrant native plants for your garden
No matter where you live, there are plants that have evolved in your region and are specifically geared to flourish there. Native plants naturally thrive in their own particular climate and the specific growing conditions your region offers. When growing with natives, they do not tend to require a lot of help in terms of fertilizer and soil amendments – certainly not in the same way as exotics and non-natives.
That said, before you start selecting natives, it doesn’t hurt to test the soil with a soil meter like the Raintrip 4-in-1 Meter from Amazon, to check soil pH, nutrient loads and moisture levels. You can also add a little soil enhancement to your planting site with Back to the Roots Worm Castings from Amazon, which is a natural way to add structure, nutrients and beneficial microbes ahead of the growing season, whether you’re growing flowering natives, foliage plants, fragrant native shrubs or grasses.
