preparing beds around established trees

[ardenpat]

I would like to build several beds around our very large oak trees. My husband is afraid that in doing this I will smother the tree roots and kill the trees. What do I need to know to prevent this from happening?

 

[John Paul McMillin]

do not rototill in the root zone of the oak.but if you dig individual holes for the plants you will not disturb the roots very much. also dont add more than 2 inches of soil over the roots of the oak . and dont add more than 3 inches of mulch over the roots and dont put any soil or mulch against the truck of the oak.but you should be fine planting shade tolerant plants under the oak tree

 

[ardenpat]

Thank you so much for that information- exactly what we needed to know. This is our first "real" home and we are novices at caring for such things.

 

[Treebeard]

Think about care for these plants & beds too. Anything you plant in a trees root zone will be in competition for water & nutrients. Watch what you use on the new plants that may affect the trees....fertilizers, insecticides, etc, and the cultivation techniques you use. The Law of Unintended Consequences can be a pain.

 

[treeclimber165]

JPM and Treebeard had good points. Here is another post and responses from a couple months ago concerning a similar situation.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?threadid=670