Here is the good news, though: A small amount of soil can be spread over.

Over-Mulching Can Kill Oxygen Starvation. Suffocation of the tree roots is the most common cause of tree and shrub death from overmulching. Inner Bark Death of Aboveground Root Flares. Inner bark (phloem) death comes from the piles of mulch placed directly Disease. Most fungal and bacterial. Concrete blocks tree roots from oxygen and water. As time goes on, tree roots need fresh air, so they’ll again grow above ground. This time, they’ll crack the concrete, making a big mess.

Should I cover tree roots with mulch then? What about gravel? Yes, in fact, mulch is the best way to cover tree roots above ground. Apr 12, Problems Associated with Overmulching Oxygen starvation and root suffocation. Tree roots need oxygen to grow and function properly.

When too much mulch covers Inner bark death. The inner bark, also called the phloem, carries photosynthates produced by the leaves to the rest of Disease. Most Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins.

Jun 11, Best ways to cover up and protect exposed tree roots. If you don’t like the look of surface roots, cover ‘em up! Low maintenance, shade-loving ground cover plants will both camouflage the roots and add charm. Plants like periwinkle, Japanese spurge, Asiatic jasmine and wild ginger are all great options. Also, protecting above-ground roots with mulch has dual benefits- you can shield the roots. Oct 02, You see, tree roots need to breathe.

They need oxygen, and dumping a thick layer of dirt on them can suffocate them. In fact, if you suffer from exposed roots, there is a good chance that lack of oxygen was the reason that the roots came to the surface, in the first place: They were getting insufficient oxygen with which to breathe, perhaps due to their growing in compacted stumpcut.barted Reading Time: 4 mins.