21
Update: A landscaper in Boise told me my pruning cuts were too close to the trunk, which was stressing the maples...
I switched to making cuts just outside the branch collar, like he showed me, and the new growth on my Crimson King looks way healthier after one season, so has anyone else had a pro point out a basic mistake you were making for years?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
nina_sullivan612mo agoMost Upvoted
Yeah, that mulch volcano story from @james533 is a perfect example. The thing about cutting just outside the branch collar is totally right, but calling it a "basic" mistake is a bit off. It's not basic at all. Most people are never taught the right way to prune. They just see a stub and cut it flush, which seems logical. That pro gave you a real piece of key info that isn't common knowledge. Glad your tree is doing better now.
8
My buddy had a guy from the tree service straight up laugh at his mulch volcanoes. He'd been piling it high against the trunk for a decade, thinking he was helping. The pro told him it was rotting the bark and showed him how to spread it thin in a wide ring. His oaks perked up the next year.
7
ninal919d ago
A little mulch against the trunk actually creates a natural insulation layer in colder climates, protecting the roots from freeze-thaw cycles that can damage shallow root systems. The real issue isn't the volcano shape itself but using too much organic material that stays wet, which is more about drainage than the actual pile. Spreading mulch thin in a wide ring can leave the trunk zone exposed to sun scald and drying winds, which is why some oaks actually decline after that "fix.
3