Walked through a new development in Austin and noticed all the trees were planted way too deep

Was checking out a friend's new build in Mueller last week and every single oak had the root flare buried. I pointed it out to the landscaper and he just said "that's how we always do it." Anyone else noticing this getting worse with all the new construction?

2 comments

2 Comments

clairebaker16d ago

Six oaks I counted in one cul-de-sac alone, all planted so deep the trunks looked like telephone poles sticking out of the dirt. It makes me so mad because these trees are supposed to be here for decades, and now they're all doomed to slowly suffocate or get girdling roots. I appreciate you actually saying something to the landscaper, most people just walk by and don't even notice. The fact that he brushed you off like that is exactly why this keeps happening, nobody wants to admit they've been doing it wrong for years. It's like they think deeper is better for stability, but really they're just killing the tree slowly and setting up a future hazard when those roots start wrapping around the trunk. Have you seen any of the older developments where this was done and the trees are already failing?

terryrobinson16d ago

Right, so you actually talked to the landscaper about it? What exactly did he say when you pointed out the root flare was buried? I'm trying to figure out if it's pure laziness or if they're just following some old rule they learned 20 years ago and never questioned. The fact that he brushed it off like it was no big deal would have pissed me off. Did you get the sense he even knew what a root flare is?