Plant Health Alert - What Not to Do - Henderson County Center

Plant Health Alert - What Not to Do

— Written by Steve Pettis | August 29, 2022 (Updated: Feb. 7, 2023, 6:30 a.m.)

There are many mistakes that well-meaning gardeners might make in their landscapes. There are a few of these mistakes that we see over and over here in our capacity as landscape and plant consultants. Here are a few of the top mistakes we see constantly in Henderson County Landscapes.

1. Planting trees without removing the packaging leads to future root issues. All packaging material should be removed from balled and burlap field grown trees.

leyland with strap burlap — Burlap inhibits root growth. It should be removed at planting.
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red maples with termites girdling straps — Strapping associated with field grown balled and burlap trees can girdle tree trunks if not removed at planting.
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2. Excessive mulch or 'volcano mulching' leads to roots surfacing and ultimately girdling roots.

girdling roots maple — Girdling roots are caused by roots that are surfacing to obtain oxygen of which they are deprived because of being planted too deep or buried too deep in mulch. Girdling roots strangle the trunk cutting off water flow from the roots.
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3. Planting the wrong plant in the wrong place leads to future trouble. Trees that get too large near a building can cost lots of money in the future. Plant appropriately sized plants.

willow oak too close to home — The willow oak and the arborvitae are planted two feet from this home. The willow oak can reach a height of 70-100 feet all and 60 feet across. The arborvitae can get 60 tall and 30 feet across. Eventually these tress would damage the foundation and other infrastructure of this home.
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4. Planting trees too deep creates many of the same problems as over-mulching. Roots rise to the surface and eventually become girdling roots.

tree planted too deep — Notice the roots that have come to the surface that would impact the trunk in the future as girdling roots.
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5. Improper pruning leads to structural weakness in trees. Cutting into old wood creates wounds that will seal slowly leading to fungal rot in the inner wood of the tree.