THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995                 TAG: 9503230132
SECTION: HOME                     PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: REMINDERS
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
                                             LENGTH: Short :   31 lines

HOW MUCH MULCH IS TOO MUCH FOR TREES?

MULCHING CONTINUES to baffle many gardeners. How much is too much or too little? What kind to use around which plants?

Here's the word on mulching trees from Tom Smiley of Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories, as printed in the new Garden Gate magazine: ``The best materials for mulching trees are composted leaves, wood chips, bark nuggets or pine needles. Don't use mulch from redwood or walnut trees. They release alleopathic chemicals that can stunt or kill the plants you are mulching. Avoid using plastic, stone, sawdust, finely shredded bark and grass clippings. Apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch from the tree trunk to the drip line.

Remove any grass growing between the drip line and the tree trunk before mulching. Trees and grass compete for water and nutrients. Grass usually wins because it has a finer, more extensive root system. Don't remove the mulch later on. You'll also remove tree roots that have grown into it.

``As mulch decomposes, add more to maintain the 2- to 4-inch depth. Pile no more than 1 inch of mulch against the tree trunk. If it's deeper, mulch can retain too much moisture and cause disease.'' by CNB