The difference in a row of oaks after we stopped using those thick black mulch rings
There's a street in my town, Maple Drive, that had about twenty young red oaks planted by the city maybe eight years ago. Every single one had that classic volcano mulch pile, piled right up against the trunks. For years they just looked okay, kind of stunted. The city finally let our crew redo them last fall. We pulled all that old mulch back, cleared a proper root flare on each tree, and put down a thin, wide layer of wood chips instead, keeping it away from the trunks. I drove by yesterday and the change is wild. The trees that looked the same size for years have put on a solid foot of new growth this spring alone, and the bark looks healthier, not damp and soft. It's crazy how one bad practice can hold back a whole street of trees for nearly a decade. Has anyone else seen a turnaround this fast just from fixing the mulch?