My crew chief swore by using a 2-inch mulch ring for new street trees, but I thought it was overkill.

After tracking survival rates for 100 trees over two seasons, the ringed ones had a 40% better establishment rate in our clay soil. What's your go-to method for urban tree planting?

4 comments

4 Comments

christopherw341mo ago

Damn, that's solid data backing up the ring approach.

blake7923mo ago

We always dig a wide, shallow hole and mix in compost.

the_sam3mo ago

Read somewhere that a wide hole helps roots spread out faster. Makes sense with the compost mixed in.

-1

sean_green443mo ago

Our city specs call for a 5-foot mulch bed, not just a ring. The bigger area stops soil compaction from foot traffic near the trunk, which is a huge killer downtown.