Roots coming out of ground on my maple tree

[Jen]

I live in Tennessee. I have three large maple trees across my front lawn... probably planted in the 60's when the house was built. One is very large, and the roots are growing up out of the ground. Each year, they seem to get higher, and it's getting hard to mow over them without hitting them with the blade. It's a pretty large area. I need to do something. My choices seem to be putting down mulch around the tree... or putting dirt down to cover up the roots and seeding it with grass seed. The grass that grows there now is nice, not like the weeds in most of the rest of the yard. Any suggestions as to which one is better? If I mulch, would I need to put landscaping fabric under the mulch? Would the mulch last, or would I have to re-mulch every year?

[nclawnguy]

Use mulch, no need for fabric, put down 3" or 4" of mulch and should be enough to suppress most weeds. Never put soil on top of tree roots, you can kill the tree.

[ Post made via Android ]

[andy10917]

There are many, many varieties of Maples. Some are very shallow-rooted, and don't react well at all to having the roots reburied under soil - they basically will suffocate over time. Mulch is OK unless it is very deep. I have many Maples, and use some mulch under them, and smaller varieties of Hosta in the root areas - the "wild" types are more tolerant of a little drying-out than the fragile fancy ones. The combo looks natural and good.

[Kmartel]

I just want to reinforce the comment to NOT put down landscape fabric of any kind. It will severely impact the long term health of the tree.


Sent from my iOS device using the Yard Help App

[TimmyG]

I started to cringe as I began to read the OP, knowing the options that would be considered. Andy's advice is sound. Whatever you do, do not change the soil level. Those trees are set in their ways and clearly the type that rely on surface roots. Even just a few inches of soil could be a shock to the trees. Be happy to have such magnificent trees and do everything you can to keep them safe and healthy. Definitely get rid of the grass anywhere near surface roots as scalping roots with a mower is bad news for the tree. Mulch is acceptable, as it breaths more than soil, but it's still not particularly preferred by the tree, so keep it shallow.

[Jen]

This is what I needed to know. Thanks everyone. Appreciate it.