Mulching trees keeps down weeds, thus eliminating competition for water.

But, if you are in an area where there's a lot of traffic, the main thing you wanna do is you wanna mulch your tree roots so that you don't trip on them.

And in that case, the best thing to do is. Make sure the mulch is at least 5 inches away from the trunk of the tree and no more than 2 to 4 inches deep.

Spread the mulch around the tree into the surrounding landscape as wide as you like, tapering out to the ground level at the edge of the ring. Use fresh natural mulch such as wood chips or bark bushhaul.barted Reading Time: 2 mins. Sep 02, Six inches of mulch is too deep. Much of the water that would otherwise reach the tree's roots gets trapped in the mulch.

Excessive mulching can suffocate a tree's roots.

Choosing not to mulch, especially with newly planted trees, brings some significant drawbacks such as: Weeds.

Deep mulch can invite rodent pests (such as voles) and diseases. Yes, in fact, mulch is the best way to cover tree roots above ground. When you add inches of organic mulch, you get double the benefits. It gives your landscape a clean look and moisturizes and protects the roots.

There is nothing wrong with using wood-chip mulches as long as you age them first.

You can sub in gravel as a low-maintenance alternative to mulch. Mulch around trees keeps the roots at an ideal temperature. Mulch acts as a constant insulator for our tree by keeping the soil warm in winter and cool in summer. Organic, coarser mulch does a better job at this than inorganic or processed mulches, like fabrics or plastics. Swedish University Oct 02, An alternative idea to"dress up" the area under the tree might be to spread a thin (2 inches) layer of mulch over the tree roots, then lay out container gardens (potted plants) with plants of varying heights and bushhaul.barted Reading Time: 4 mins.