Homeowners can prevent lawn mower blight by creating a weed-free area around the tree using mulch, gravel, or groundcover, protecting the trunk, and hand-pulling or using shears to remove grass and weeds around the tree.
Ways to protect your tree from mower blight
Using lawn mowers or string trimmers around trees causes lawn mower blight. One way to protect your tree is by creating a weed-free (and grass-free) area around your tree so you don’t have to mow or weed near it. To prevent weeds from coming back, you can cover or close off the area with the following:
- Mulch
- Groundcover
- Landscape borders
How big of an area should I set aside? It depends on the size of your tree. Travis Cleveland, an extension specialist with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension, says to clear out as much space as needed to prevent lawn equipment from touching the tree.
Ideally, the weed-free should start 6 inches away from the trunk of the tree. Keeping a 12-inch area around the tree free of weeds should suffice for most vulnerable trees.
You can also use cages or plastic pipes to shield the trunk from the lawn equipment.
Mulch
Mulching around the tree is one of the more aesthetically pleasing ways to prevent mower blight. Aside from preventing weeds (the removal of which can cause lawn mower blight), mulch also serves as a visual boundary that reminds whoever’s mowing to be cautious and stay away. Here are some types of mulch you can use around trees:
- Wood chips
- Pine needles
- Shredded leaves
- Gravel, stone, or pebbles
As a bonus, mulch has many benefits such as moisture retention and improved soil health that your trees will appreciate.
You can use either organic or inorganic mulch. Organic mulches are preferable because they add organic matter and nutrients to the soil as they break down. Inorganic mulches like stone don’t provide nutrients but will need to be replenished less (if at all).
How do you mulch around a tree? Here is a short guide on how to mulch:
- Clean an area around the tree of debris. Cleveland, the extension specialist, recommends mulching at least to the drip line of the tree (the area where the tree’s most outward branches stop).
- Remove weeds.
- Spread the mulch, starting 6 inches away from the trunk and stopping at the drip line.
- Water the mulch thoroughly (if organic).
Note: Avoid mulch volcanoes, or piling up mulch against a tree trunk. This has many bad effects, such as suffocation, diseases, and a higher fire risk.
How deep should your mulch be? For most mulches, a 2 to 4-inch layer should be enough. Too thin and you don’t benefit much from mulch, while too much mulch can harm the tree the same way mulch volcanoes do. You can learn more in our article, “How Deep Should Mulch Be?”.
Groundcover
Travis Cleveland, an extension specialist with the University of Illinois Extension, suggests groundcover as an alternative to mulch.
But why use groundcover? Although they are plants too, groundcovers are low-maintenance and don’t need mowing. If the groundcover is thick enough, it won’t need weeding either. So you will never need to mow or weed around the tree.
However, you will need a fast-growing, shade-loving groundcover for it to thrive under your trees. Some of your options include:
- Bugleweed can thrive under shade and will quickly cover the weed-free area under your tree. Bugleweed has small blue, pink, purple, or white flowers that pollinators love.
- Bunchberry is a native plant that prefers cool summers. In the spring, it has white flowers, which eventually become red berries in the summer and fall.
- Green-and-gold is another native, this time with yellow blooms. It’s a good option for homeowners who have a deer problem, as this plant repels it.
- Japanese pachysandra has smaller flowers. Its glossy leaves repel deer and rabbits but house birds and other small animals.
- Mondo grass is a salt-tolerant and deer-resistant member of the Asparagus family. Like Japanese pachysandra, its leaves are more understated and discrete.
You can read our article, “Fast-Growing Groundcovers for Shade”, if you’d like to learn more groundcovers you can plant under trees.
Landscape borders
Landscape borders are another way to block lawn equipment from hitting your trees. You can use paver walkways or landscape edging to create boundaries between your lawn and your trees. You can also add mulch or stones to help define the area around the tree along with the borders.
Cages
Cages can be made of metal, wire, or plastic. To protect your tree, it should be at least 12 inches high.
If you’re planning to use a cage to protect your tree, then you’ll need to ensure these things:
- Prepare a 3-inch weed-free zone and cover it with mulch or gravel.
- Don’t let the cage touch the bark.
Plastic pipe
A plastic pipe is less elegant but does the job of protecting your tree’s trunk. Also called a tree tube, it also can protect tree saplings from other forms of damage (such as from hungry deer).
To use a pipe to protect your tree, cut up one side of a 6- to 12-inch plastic irrigation pipe. Then, slip the pipe around the tree.
You can buy tree protectors ready-made or DIY them. Here are some you can buy online:
Amazon:
Home Depot:
How to remove weeds and grass near trees
Sometimes, weeds and grass growing right around a tree are inevitable. We understand the appeal of using a non-toxic weed control method around other plants. However, using fast-spinning tools can harm your trees. If you need to cut grass or remove weeds near a tree trunk, consider hand weeding or using garden shears.
To effectively pull a weed by hand, you may need to dig it up. Meanwhile, garden shears can be used to cut grass near the base of the tree trunk. As long as you’re careful about not hitting tree roots, you shouldn’t harm the tree.
FAQs about lawn mower blight
What causes lawn mower blight?
Lawn mower blight is caused by fast-spinning mower blades and trimmer lines repeatedly hitting the trunk or exposed roots of a tree.
How can lawn mower blight kill a tree?
Lawn mower blight can kill a tree through the wounds they inflict on the bark. Trees can’t recover from wounds in the bark, which creates openings for wood-rotting organisms and tree diseases.
The blight can also extend past the bark, which disrupts the flow of nutrients and water going up and down the tree. When the wound extends all around the trunk, the tree can’t transport nutrients or water at all.
Can lawn mower blight be cured?
Unfortunately, lawn mower blight can’t be cured. At least, not completely; the tree will never be the same even after many years. Preventing damage is the only weapon against mower blight.
Contact a pro to carefully maintain your landscape
You can prevent mower blight by keeping lawn mowers, string trimmers, and other fast-spinning cutting tools away from your trees. That might mean installing a visual reminder, shielding with a physical barrier, or using alternative tools.
You can also contact a local pro. Lawn Love can connect you with a pro who knows how to properly mow your lawn, remove weeds, and mulch your trees, landscape, or garden. Hire a pro through Lawn Love today.
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- Main Photo Credit: Tomasz Zajda | Adobe Stock Free | License
