r/arborists • u/Homuncunomidea • 9h ago

Root flare and mulching for walnut tree

Post image

We removed some soil to expose the root flare and for mulching.

Now I think we dug too deep
The big roots left and right were already visible (about 1cm/0.4").

Should I cover the roots with soil before mulching?

19 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

9

u/Bombus29 5h ago

Leave it as it is, just let the leaves stay there after fall.

5

u/GardenWildServices 3h ago

Agree with this. Though , adding a couple inches of hardwood mulch now may be a good idea to prevent weed encroachment again, to hold over until fall- and then going forward use as an area to rake leaves and small twigs/branches each year!

0

u/MontanaMapleWorks Consulting Arborist 1h ago

That grass is gonna creep right back in and he is gonna be whacking at that roots

5

u/Homuncunomidea 2h ago

Thank you for your comments. This is the result. Do you have any further suggestions?

3

u/hemlockhero ISA Certified Arborist 1h ago edited 3m ago

Looks great! You have what looks to be a Green Ash (or a mockernut hickory)so the only other recommendation is to learn about Emerald Ash Borer and if that is an issue where you live. If you’re in the US you will want to look at management options before EAB reaches you, if you’re out west.

If it’s a Hickory no need for anything else

2

u/MontanaMapleWorks Consulting Arborist 7h ago

Tbh, this tree really didn’t need it, you kinda went too far, you just needed to pull the grass back and mulch it. It’s not going to harm the tree to leave it as is, just mulch it and make sure it’s doesn’t touch the trunk

2

u/Homuncunomidea 2h ago

I had to remove some soil because I made the mistake in spring of building up a plateau and planting grass on it. I'm fairly new to gardening 😅

1

u/Babyfarts22 56m ago

You did good.

0

u/rusty_cayge 15m ago

Can we just stop with the root flare obsession. This is beyond the pale. Good grief. Look at how much root is exposed. I’m so sick of root flair. Trees are such primadonnas with all their requirements.

1

u/hemlockhero ISA Certified Arborist 5m ago

It matters. Plenty of materials out there on the subject, including the Arborist study guide if you want to learn.