burying roots

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jillep Atlanta, GA Jun 01, 2013

I have an older flowering (pear?) tree growing on a hill. It fell over in 2001, grew back from the stump and now has a diameter of about 8". The stump has been covered with ivy until recently. Now that it is uncovered it is UGLY! I have built a retaining wall around the tree, mainly to disguise it, but I'd like to put some plants in front of it. I've heard that putting soil on tree roots which were exposed can cause them to rot and kill the tree. How much do I dare put on them? To really cover the ugly part I'd need close to a full foot of soil. Is it better to put the soil on gradually an inch a month or so?


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Diana_K Contra Costa County, CA(Zone 9b) Jun 02, 2013

Sine you have added a retaining wall, that area will have better drainage than the average tree in this situation, so it is probably OK to bury the roots.
I would use a very loose soil, high in organic matter to cover most of the roots, then mulch with something coarse, perhaps large bark or the chips from the tree company's chipper.
I do not know if it is better to do this slower or all at once. You could simply add mulch every year, and as it breaks down add more and more, a little higher than before. Not good to plant in, though. You would want soil to do that.

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