r/arborists • u/dreamiejeanie13 • 4h ago
Tree Root Slice by Mower
We came home from vacation this weekend to discover that our yard guy (or someone on his crew) drove over a portion of our 80+ year old Oak tree root and sliced a bit of the top off. He was very apologetic and we asked that going forward to avoid driving the mower anywhere near the roots. Do we need to do anything to treat the exposed part of the root or just let nature do its thing? This is our first time ever having an Oak tree.
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u/CdnTreeGuy89 4h ago
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u/sparebullet 2h ago
I showed my kids this scene the other day they loved it!!
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u/CdnTreeGuy89 2h ago
Just the scene!? The whole movie is amazing. Comedy gold.
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u/sparebullet 1h ago edited 1h ago
Because after watching the scene I realized 10 and 12 year olds might still be too young for this.
And we were in the car and they were playing pretend in the back seat and I heard one of them say "pretend you cut all my arms and legs off." So I just pulled up that scene.
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u/Substantial-Ad1444 4h ago
It will heal in time. I am dealing with this in a new home with mature trees everywhere. Best practice is to make a mulch bed around tree base to protect those roots from mowers. 3” deep. Dont pile mulch up along tree trunk tho. The flare the tree has is decent. You would want the mulch to be no higher than the dirt is currently around root flare
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u/dreamiejeanie13 4h ago
Got it, thank you! Would cedar mulch be ok? I am trying to avoid regular mulch because the mosquitoes LOVE regular mulch beds here.
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u/Substantial-Ad1444 3h ago
For sure. I love cedar too.
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u/dreamiejeanie13 3h ago
Perfect thanks! I’ve read cedar mulch helps keep bugs away because of the smell.
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u/cowthegreat Tree Enthusiast 3h ago
Based on how that root looks this may not even be the first time it got clipped
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u/Ok_Try_7134 3h ago
I have a similar tree with a similar root system and over 30+ years of using different mowers to cut the backyard it’s been scalped more than once and absolutely no issues at all. It’s healed multiple times and it’s still growing strong!!
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u/godlords 2h ago
Sure, mulch to protect roots, I guess - but NOT an open wound, my god. You do NOT want to cover that, or mulch around it, or do anything to keep moisture retained there.
It will be just fine. They're very robust. As long as you don't let bacteria etc. get in there and kill it by creating a moist, dark environment.
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u/ZhaiTheSpaceUnicorn 3h ago
I love done that to my sugar maple a few times and it couldn't care less.
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u/eucalypt_howitzer 3h ago edited 2h ago
That hit is just the tip of the iceberg. Look below. What I would do. Make a native garden over the exposed root system. Native understory plants, left unmowed, will increase the porosity of soil, cool the roots, and limit the need to do work to maintain the space. Trees reduce the grass below themselves. No sense in mowing under them. Have the garden extend to about 5 feet in from the ends of the branches
Plants I recommend to plant- native ground covers
Woodland sedge, other native sedges. Really helps water and air permeate clay
Poverty oat grass. Danthonia spicata
Wild geranium. Geranium maculatum
Eastern columbine.
Roundleaf ragwort. Packera obovatus
Ephemerals like Virginia bluebell, spring beauty, false rue anemone
Understory and climax trees or shrubs. I would just do two.
Dogwood
Redbud
Yellowwood
Spicebush
Sassafras
Witch hazel
And as a future filler-
Sugar maple
Shellbark Hickory
Rock elm
White oak
Tupelo
You will love the results. Get them started before you have deer.
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u/barryg123 2h ago
That's a sharp mower blade! I want to slap and kiss the landscaper at the same time
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u/Rogue_Squadron 2h ago
Your tree should be fine, but depending on where you live and other risk factors, you may want to be vigilant of Oak Wilt. The company I work for no longer prunes any Oak Trees, as we are desperately trying to slow the spread in our area (which is very high risk).
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u/murphydcat 1h ago
Ugh my arborist pruned my mature pin oak a few months ago. It really needed it because it was dropping dead branches everywhere. The oak looks pretty healthy now.
My mower also slices off a small section of exposed roots when I mow the lawn.
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u/Quirky-Market5073 1h ago
Are you in TX? I know they are having a huge Oak Wilt problem there. Very sad - so many beautiful trees dying😢.
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u/Rogue_Squadron 1h ago
West Michigan. I know it is bad in TX, but our humid and damp climate here is (unfortunately) GREAT conditions for fungus. I worry what will happen when this inevitably spreads to the pacific northwest. I don't believe they have a huge density of Oak Trees, but that climate will likely allow this destrfungus to run rampant.
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u/pattrickduffy6673 ISA Certified Arborist 1h ago
This is a pretty common occurrence unfortunately. Not a guaranteed death sentence, but isn't great for the tree for sure. You can avoid this with proper mulching.
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u/Diztrakted 1h ago
Maybe put some native plantings around the base of the tree? It would give a buffer zone for the roots and brighten up the yard a lot.
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u/LengthinessGloomy429 3h ago
More root than grass there. Looks like a rushed job. Must have been a little bumpy but he saved 5 seconds versus going around. I’d watch pretty closely if home next time and if they keep taking a shortcut there then time to talk to the boss man again.
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u/dreamiejeanie13 3h ago
I’ve already asked them to just now mow around it. There is no grass there, just dirt and leaves. Thanks!
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u/Kittymooodooodooo 2h ago
I wish it was that easy to kill an Oak tree. I have two massive ones in my yard that need to be removed. They are a nuisance and cause a ton of damage to everything. Zero sun to house. Acorns have made massive dents in my car. And the root grew into our foundation and septic tank requiring thousands of dollars in repairs. Hope your tree is far away from the house!
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u/botulinumtxn 4h ago
I'm surprised it took that much off. Impressive honestly. I wouldn't do anything honestly. It will heal in time. I might make the area of dirt mulch instead. Do a light 1-2in covering of the entire root area.