6 Tree-Harming Landscaping Mistakes You Should Avoid

Landscaping mistakes can have serious consequences for your trees, and subsequently for the value of your home. Tree care may look easy, but that doesn’t mean you should water, plant and mulch to your heart’s content. Avoid tree-harming landscaping mistakes, and keep your young saplings healthy and strong. 1. Under or Over-Mulching Have you ever piled mulch up around the base of your trees? If so, you made one of the worst landscaping mistakes, but also one of the most common. Mulching around your trees isn’t just for looks, it helps protect young trunks and keeps soil moist. Mulch is good — in moderation. But when you over-mulch, you can encourage rot and insect infestations, ultimately strangling the root system. 2. Overplanting Around the Trunk Don’t plant quick-growing flowers or shrubs around the base of your tree — it can stifle growth and overtake soil nutrients! Allow a few feet of space between your tree and other plantings for the trunk to breathe. 3. Under or Over-Watering Too much water is bad for your plants, grass and yes, your trees too. It’s also bad for your budget — your water bill can quickly skyrocket! If the ground around the tree is always wet and the leaves are fragileor breaking easily, overwatering is the issue. In the desert climate of Utah, beware of under-watering as well. An under-watered tree will lose its leaves early, and the leaves that remain will be underdeveloped, brown or yellow. 4. Careless Mowing and Trimming Keep your lawn mower away from your tree roots! String trimmers are dangerous as well. Cutting the tree makes it vulnerable to infestations and decay. It also puts the tree under stress, directing its nutrients towardrepair instead of growth. Be careful with gardening machinery! 5. Planting Near Power Lines Choosing the ideal location is vitally important before you plant a tree. Always know how tall your tree is expected to grow and the estimated radius of root growth. One of the most common landscaping mistakes is to plant new trees too close to power lines. As they grow, they will only cause problems with your utility delivery, and ultimately, you may have to prune or even remove the trees altogether. 6. Incorrect Pruning You can’t just hack off any tree branch you want at any time of year and expect good results. Pruning is an art that’s best performed by a trained arborist. If you want to take over this task yourself, talk to a professional or study the subject beforehand — it’s vital to tree health and longevity. Rivendell Tree Experts is the tree care company that Utah homeowners trust. We help you prevent and recover from landscaping mistakes that wreak havoc on your lawn and trees. Call us today to schedule your appointment!