By Kathy Tando, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener
If a little is good, more is not necessarily better. Mulching our trees and shrubs is highly recommended. Mulch a circle around the tree wider than the branches reach at about a 3-inch depth. The width will need to widen as the tree grows. Don’t mulch right up against the trunk. More than the recommended mulch depth can actually damage trees by smothering the roots. So go wide, not deep, when mulching around trees and shrubs.