Rubber Tree Ring Mats

Trees are the real givers in any garden, they sit quietly over the years as they mature into specimen plants as they reach higher into the skies. They offer height in the garden, they are home to many important insect species, they provide colour and shelter and act as a sound barrier and wind break. They do all this whilst requiring very little maintenance. The real maintenance of trees comes in their early years when they require weeding & feeding & watering. With the handy rubber tree ring mats the biggest task of all – weeding, can no longer be an issue

The rubber tree ring mat or tree mulch mats simply fit around the base of each tree and work as a heavy duty mulch preventing all weed growth and preventing grass and weeds from smothering young and establishing trees. Rubber tree ring mats come in a range of thicknesses, and this will determine the effectiveness of the ring at controlling weed growth
With a thickness of 40mm a ring tree mat would be very effective at keeping down even the most rampant of weeds such as dandelions and sctuch grass. Mats also come in a range of widths, with smaller trees really only requiring rubber tree ring mats of 50cm in diameter. While larger tree ring mats can be used on all trees and will give a more definite weed control solution around your trees
Tree really do require little maintenance, but if grass takes hold around the base of your plants it can really set them back and prevent them growing and even leading to their death. Grass is the worst weeds around trees as it competes for water and nutrients and as grass can grow very fast and can smother plants quickly it is important to keep it in check
Another feature of rubber tree rings is that while they are solid and very durable they are also flexible, this is crucial around trees, who, up until now appeared as very unfussy plants, but as I delve into their more finer attributes it would appear as they too have their limits too; for one; the bark on trees must never become stressed. When tree ties become too tight around trees they can drain the life out of the tree and slowly cause it to die. The same could occur with tree ring mats if it wasn’t for the fact that their rubber material is flexible and allows for tree’s stem expansion without choky the tree
Laying rubber tree ring mats is easy. The best thing to do is first dig out any existing weeds, but don’t whine as this will be the last time you have to do it! Next dig down to a depth of 40mm (the thickness of the ring) and create a neat circle around the tree. Next open the rubber tree ring mat on one side (there should be a pre-cut slit making this easier) and position around the tree. Make sure the mat is sitting neat and level and then your done – no more tree maintenance. All you need do is keep it fed and watered in its formative years and rake up the leaves in autumn and sure we all love doing that!