Tried leaving the root collar exposed on a big oak and got roasted by the homeowner

I did a job last spring on a 40 year old red oak in a yard near Austin. Left the root collar completely bare like the research says, no mulch volcano or dirt piled up. Homeowner called me two days later saying it looked "unfinished" and wanted me to cover it back up with topsoil. I stood my ground and explained the science but she wasn't buying it. Has anyone else had clients push back on proper planting methods?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_park826d ago

Dude honestly I think people overthink this stuff. Its a 40 year old oak not a delicate little seedling. Has it been fine for 40 years with some dirt around it? Probably yeah. I get that the research says expose the root collar but Id be more worried about making the client happy than one perfect technique. Its not like covering it up is gonna kill the tree overnight. You pick your battles man.

kim_nelson26d ago

You ever see a tree that was fine for years suddenly start failing? My buddy had a 40 year old maple that looked perfect until a storm took it down. When they dug up the roots, the whole base was rotten from being buried too deep for decades. It was fine until it absolutely wasnt, you know? Just saying, sometimes the slow damage is the scariest because you dont see it coming.