Now that it’s time to mow the grass again, protect your trees from getting bumped by mowers and string trimmers by creating a mulch circle around the trunk. The vascular system of a tree can be seriously injured if its bark is removed by a tool or piece of machinery. Remove all of the grass and weeds around the base of the trunk out to the drip line of the tree. For larger trees you can make the mulch ring as wide as you like. Add a two-inch layer of wood mulch to the cleared area. Be very careful not to pile any mulch up against the trunk of the tree – this can rot the bark and suffocate the tree. — Colleen Dieter
Watch Angela Hanson of Austin PARD’s Forestry Program demonstrate the proper way to mulch a tree
