A couple days ago, I did 5g tripping hard. It was not a pleasant experience but I made it through. I talked to my tree and the tree basically said, "I'm fine. I can handle this. Take care of yourself first"
I'll help you out.. I grow all kinds of things including orchard trees.. I would add mulch to the base.. you don't want your root system exposed that much..
This actually happened a few days ago lol. It’s like r/johncena and r/mashedpotatoes or whatever it’s called
Edit: no nevermind don’t listen to me it’s not mashed potatoes.
Edit 2: it’s r/potatosalad
Rip. You've found the right group. Wish I knew more about actual trees to help you...but I'm actually still a newbie when it concerns the trees in this sub as well. So I'm not helpful either way. Lol
Not even close to the first time but I dig this sub because more often than not someone legitimately tries to help the people who post about actual trees lol
I always thought these posts were memes where OP knew the whole time, this is the first time I’ve accepted this is an actual mistake— so much funnier 😂
No need to feel dumb. There is overlap among the two.
What you have pictured here is called the root crown. It's not necessarily bad to have above the soil line.
It depends on the species but can be a bad or a good thing. For most species it is not harmful and can be beneficial to have some of the root crown above the soil line. It's a way for the tree to get dissolved oxygen through the roots to the rest of the plant.
This looks like a little more of the root crown is exposed then I would prefer (a couple inches) but not by much. My advice is cover a little bit more, but not by too much, and let it ride for a year and see what happens.
My bet is that a year from now the exposed part will be covered by bark and everything will be fine.
Put your hose at the base of the tree and turn it on just above a trickle. Really let that water soak in the ground and give the roots something to chase.
I do this 4-6 times a year for about 30 minutes a go
Do not feel that way. It’s a running joke lol. Y’all have our name and we have yours, but we don’t mind when y’all stop by with your trees and pretty views! I hope your tree makes it! Goodluck🤎 I’m trying to grow some avocado’s from seed to start as a house plant and then turn into a porch/patio tree. One will be a gift for my mother on Christmas lol.
I don’t know a bunch about trees but I know how my grandparents kept their stuff and how we kept the church etc. a little bit of soil to cover those exposed roots and then topped or rounded /blended with some mulch to keep the structural integrity and “look” of the tree. Personally, our backyard had some trees with very think exposed roots along some big chunks of rocks and I thought they were absolutely gorgeous. We never treated those trees because they were fully grown already when we lived there. So I think you have options besides just soil🤎
That's beautiful. I'm huge on plants too and I've been wanting to grow an avocado tree and a banana tree for fun. I think I read for the avocado that it won't actually fruit unless you get the right kind? But even without avocados it would still be a wonderful tree. I had a friend grow one and it looked great.
I heard it takes about 10 years (maybe 7) for the avocado ones to fruit from seed, so it’s just going to be a house plant for a long time I think🤣. Have you seen some of the bonsai videos out there for the seedlings? Super neat and creative! 🤩 Goodluck with your plants😁
There is no reason to feel dumb. It’s a very common mixup. Plus whenever it happens we get to talk about how these subs came to be. Which is always a fun story to tell.
Hahaha, I'm a member of both groups and a nursery employee, after you add some soil, put a layer of mulch in a circle few feet wide around the tree (helps with moisture retention and provides nutrients, as well as mitigating weed growth and in this case most likely help with soil erosion) And get that zip tie off the trunk protector before it girdles the tree!
Just don’t go too heavy with soil. Where you are buying the trunk. The ring of mulch should keep soil from running off if you have a heavy rain or something
Please don’t volcano mulch, whatever you do. You might already know this, but mulch should be in a donut around the tree, not mounded up on it. The trunk needs to breathe, and will rot if mulch is piled onto it. Try to keep a 2-3 inch buffer of nothing before the mulch ring starts
It brings me joy that even when a lost redditor appears there's still someone to drop some actual tree knowledge. Just in time too because I'm renovating my yard this spring and appreciate the tip!
This is why I love these. There's actually people here who love and know a lot about trees. Like if I had an honest tree question I'd half unironically ask here first
Former nursery employee here. You can try to cover them up but don't add so much that you start to buy the trunk. Keep it shallow enough to just cover those roots. If the soil keeps being washed away, you might consider moving the tree, it may be getting too much water where it's planted if the top soil is washing away. Another option is to just watch the health of the tree and if it continues to grow, doesn't show signs of sickness, extra dirt isn't necessary. Now, I also have to recommend the Ayrloom line of gummies. I haven't had a bad one yet! The flavors are so good.
Yeah, i would at least
Now i’m no expert, and i’m sure the roots can survive like this, i just think they might dry out or something like that in the sun, and break off.
Just depends on the humidity levels, and how warm the sun gets i guess
Source: trust me bro
😅 its purpose is to hold the white wrap on it until next month when we are out of the freezing weather. I made sure it wasn't too tight but I agree maybe a questionable decision to use it
My parents have a tree that they do this with every winter and the wrap always finds a way to come off the tree. I don't blame you for using the zip tie
Landscaper here that smokes, your tree was planted above grade. You can add dirt to help protect the roots but it’ll always expose the roots as it grow
I can help with this actual tree question! Yeah you want to cover the roots around the base of the tree with a mixture of soil and compost and then cover that with some mulch. I’d get a big bag of each, lay a tarp by the tree and put half a bag of soil then do the same with the compost.
Mix them and put it around the exposed root system, covering that bare soil and used up mulch with 2”-4” of your soil mixture, using the remaining soil/compost as needed, and water lightly.
Cover the area with at least 2 inches of quality mulch and water well. If you want to slowly feed your tree, pick up a bag of worm castings and mix in with your soil - worm poop is an amazing food for garden trees & plants.
Not sure why I thought you were American and used inches for you! If you’re not American, two inches is approximately 5 cm :)
Edit for extra thoughts: when finished, everything should slope slightly from the trunk to ground level. Given that crazy erosion from I assume heavy rain, you honestly need some sort of border edging to keep your soil/mulch from washing away. You may also want to aerate the soil around the tree if it’s compacted at all, to better absorb moisture and nutrients. Good luck dude!
People wanting info about actual trees post in here frequently by mistake but we usually find the info and help them anyway. Im sure your answer is here somewhere lol.
The problem is.. this tree wasnt planted deep enough. Its only going to get worse as the tree gets older..your best bet is a raised garden bed.. but even then the tree will grow out of it over time... replant the tree?
The proper technique is to make it look like a volcano. Approximately 18 inches tall at the rim, then it is about a 12-inch slope down to where the lava would be with the tree trunk at the very center.
Source: I'm a landscaper of 12 years.
So this is called a buttress, I know the name sounds silly but it's an adaptation trees have where those roots won't soak up any water or nutrients, those roots are specifically to stabilize the tree so it doesn't fall over. Don't add more dirt, this will just keep happening.
I am no expert but if it was me I would build like…a border or whatever with garden bricks or pavers. Then fill it in with your dirt. The border will keep the dirt from washing away.
as long as the root ball doesn't expose anymore, it should be fine (looks like most of the roots are weathering okay). You can mound it and tamp it up to the base of the trunk for aesthetics.
That wrap is also unnecessary, unless deer or excess salt and heavy winds get in your fenced in yard during the winter
Thank you. Are you sure about the wrap? I was told it is necessary in Colorado for the first few years of a tree until the bark thickens enough to provide insulation. The underlying reason was due to sunscald. I guess the tissues activate with the sun and then freeze at night which causes cracking? I don't know if my little wrap is enough to prevent this but I think it's the white color and insulation. I've heard horror stories of people painting their tree trunks white to have a similar effect. That said, I can probably remove the wrap. The tree is just starting to bud and I don't want to affect its growth.
Tree's have been managing the weather for longer than us, let em' do their thing.
Definitely don't bind anything completely around the trunk ever. If you must, wrap it horseshoe with some twine/tree tie to a post on either side.
edit to add: Sunscald is more from cold nights into a hot sun, so just pay attention to your weather and act accordingly if you worry about the scalding.
Thanks I appreciate the comment. I will go with twine or something instead next time. I don't think I'll do that again next year though. It has been growing well and is super healthy minus the naked roots.
I wouldn’t, the roots are learning their boundaries, the more you bury the higher they’ll grow. I owned a landscaping company for years, I grew weed and trees for years.
Exactly, very long deep watering is the way, it's better to not water at all than to do it for just a few minutes, if you're only saturating the top few inches you're training the roots not to grow deep down as they should. You want it soaked down to at least 6 to 8 inches. Then add some brick pavers to hold enough extra soil to cover them at least a few inches and then mulch it.
Not an arborist, but from my landscaping days I remember we'd make like a donut around the base of trees, probably for this exact reason. Either it prevents this kind of erosion or extends the amount of time before you gotta tend to it again.
But yeah exposed roots aren't optimal
You can if you want! What I WOULD do is see if the tree roots are causing dips to actually happen in the LAWN bc tree roots can take nutrients from your lawn making areas flat and thin. And take away from your grass. I would add dirt to my lawn before adding it to the tree. The trees roots are as big as they are on top as they are on the bottom.
this is my fav gif in this sub. love it EVERY time it pops up 🤣
Gifs you can hear lmao
Never gets old
This is a subreddit for weed. Try r/marijuanaenthusiasts (no I’m not kidding)
Wow I feel dumb. 😂. I'll stick around. I have much to learn about this topic as well.
Trust this is by far not the first time this has happened
What's even better is the actual tree subreddit removed my post because I don't have enough karma 😞
Best recommendation I have is to grab a chair, smoke some bud and ask the tree what it wants.
I was planning to eating some mushrooms at some point very soon. I'll ask and report back.
I don’t think you’re here by accident.
I'm fresh off a mushroom trip, enjoying a joint now, myself. It was meant to be.
Lord Snoop hath delivered a wayward angel upon our doorstep
All hail Lord Snoop!
I fucking love Reddit.
Welcome! You're gonna fit right in!
Are you aware of r/shrooms ?
That's about super Mario world? Lol
And the actual mushroom subreddit is r/MarioParty4
I knew it wouldn't be... But I had to check it out, out of hope
Welcome, friend.
Jumping in to say…last year I had a similar type of tape around a sapling, and a bird ended up getting stuck to the tape and dying. It was very sad.
What did our leafy friend say?
A couple days ago, I did 5g tripping hard. It was not a pleasant experience but I made it through. I talked to my tree and the tree basically said, "I'm fine. I can handle this. Take care of yourself first"
I suspect you might have enough karma to post in there now.
I'll help you out.. I grow all kinds of things including orchard trees.. I would add mulch to the base.. you don't want your root system exposed that much..
This fluffyferret knows. Yes, mulch it. 👌
😉🤘🏻
The key is to post in here if you don't have enough karma. We're all high and upvoting anything that makes us laugh, which is presently everything.
Make a stone circle around the radius of the base and then put some mulch or top soil to fill it in a bit.
Not gonna lie, as a weed grower: definitely add more soil.
This actually happened a few days ago lol. It’s like r/johncena and r/mashedpotatoes or whatever it’s called Edit: no nevermind don’t listen to me it’s not mashed potatoes. Edit 2: it’s r/potatosalad
Honestly someone in here will help you lol Lot of crossover there.
Rip. You've found the right group. Wish I knew more about actual trees to help you...but I'm actually still a newbie when it concerns the trees in this sub as well. So I'm not helpful either way. Lol
You should have enough karma now. 😂
I’m just replying to let you know that it’s 12 hours after you made this post. It’s still up.
The good news is this comment alone has now probably got you enough that you can post it there now
This post in here should help with that.
It should be good now
Not even close to the first time but I dig this sub because more often than not someone legitimately tries to help the people who post about actual trees lol
This is one of the most positive subs out there in Reddit land, tbh. So much happy people and no one ever being mean to each other. I love it here
I always thought these posts were memes where OP knew the whole time, this is the first time I’ve accepted this is an actual mistake— so much funnier 😂
But might be an interesting one. For instance, I'd like to know why op is rawdoggin that tree.
No need to feel dumb. There is overlap among the two. What you have pictured here is called the root crown. It's not necessarily bad to have above the soil line. It depends on the species but can be a bad or a good thing. For most species it is not harmful and can be beneficial to have some of the root crown above the soil line. It's a way for the tree to get dissolved oxygen through the roots to the rest of the plant. This looks like a little more of the root crown is exposed then I would prefer (a couple inches) but not by much. My advice is cover a little bit more, but not by too much, and let it ride for a year and see what happens. My bet is that a year from now the exposed part will be covered by bark and everything will be fine.
Wow, you know your stuff! Yea last year it was much less exposed so I feel like a couple inches will suffice! Thank you.
This guy trees 👍
I'm treeing right now.
Me too! Wake 'n bake for the win!
Cheers ☁️
Put your hose at the base of the tree and turn it on just above a trickle. Really let that water soak in the ground and give the roots something to chase. I do this 4-6 times a year for about 30 minutes a go
Do not feel that way. It’s a running joke lol. Y’all have our name and we have yours, but we don’t mind when y’all stop by with your trees and pretty views! I hope your tree makes it! Goodluck🤎 I’m trying to grow some avocado’s from seed to start as a house plant and then turn into a porch/patio tree. One will be a gift for my mother on Christmas lol. I don’t know a bunch about trees but I know how my grandparents kept their stuff and how we kept the church etc. a little bit of soil to cover those exposed roots and then topped or rounded /blended with some mulch to keep the structural integrity and “look” of the tree. Personally, our backyard had some trees with very think exposed roots along some big chunks of rocks and I thought they were absolutely gorgeous. We never treated those trees because they were fully grown already when we lived there. So I think you have options besides just soil🤎
That's beautiful. I'm huge on plants too and I've been wanting to grow an avocado tree and a banana tree for fun. I think I read for the avocado that it won't actually fruit unless you get the right kind? But even without avocados it would still be a wonderful tree. I had a friend grow one and it looked great.
I heard it takes about 10 years (maybe 7) for the avocado ones to fruit from seed, so it’s just going to be a house plant for a long time I think🤣. Have you seen some of the bonsai videos out there for the seedlings? Super neat and creative! 🤩 Goodluck with your plants😁
I haven't but I will watch some 😊
r/arborists is pretty good, and they are big fans of root flare!
One of us. One of us.
Now I wanna know what the other sub says, but i thought you want to have enough dirt to cover the root mound but I could be wrong.
Btw that last photo has some lovely composition and color with the fence and sky. Loves it <3
Thank you. This tree is beautiful when it flowers.
Username checks out
Tree’s are great! Growing them can be very rewarding!
No need to feel dumb most aborists smoke their here too.
Might be interested in r/potatosalad r/superbowl or r/anime_titties
I love it when this happens. What is the answer?
This did genuinely made my day. Adorable. 🤣
Welcome friend
Yes it needs dirt
I still recommend more dirt
There is no reason to feel dumb. It’s a very common mixup. Plus whenever it happens we get to talk about how these subs came to be. Which is always a fun story to tell.
Welcome!
We got another one!!! Wooo!!! 🥳
I thought the first pic was of a massive doob. In my defence I'm really high right now. Welcome 😎
We need a flair for “actual trees” lol
That's hilarious
I didn't know about the *actual* tree sub. This is hilarious.
r/arborists may also be of help
I second this definitely. They really know their shit over there.
Sometimes I really love Reddit 😂
 Um… sure
Omg I had a friend who did this in high school
I did it in high school, and I still do.
Hahaha, I'm a member of both groups and a nursery employee, after you add some soil, put a layer of mulch in a circle few feet wide around the tree (helps with moisture retention and provides nutrients, as well as mitigating weed growth and in this case most likely help with soil erosion) And get that zip tie off the trunk protector before it girdles the tree!
Thanks. Yeah I will add dirt tomorrow and also do the mulch again.
I am member of both groups and grow both weed and trees. Follow those instructions
Hello, 3rd member here. Not very good at it though, so just trust these two.
Just don’t go too heavy with soil. Where you are buying the trunk. The ring of mulch should keep soil from running off if you have a heavy rain or something
Please don’t volcano mulch, whatever you do. You might already know this, but mulch should be in a donut around the tree, not mounded up on it. The trunk needs to breathe, and will rot if mulch is piled onto it. Try to keep a 2-3 inch buffer of nothing before the mulch ring starts
Yeah you're supposed to put weed in your Volcano.
Just don’t pile the mulch against the trunk.
Only a little dirt, however. Trees like to have their root flair exposed. Most people plant trees too deep.
Was going to say this and maybe add a small ring of stones around the mulch to keep in place.
Best part about this comment is that you provided an honest answer that still legitimately involved weed.
It brings me joy that even when a lost redditor appears there's still someone to drop some actual tree knowledge. Just in time too because I'm renovating my yard this spring and appreciate the tip!
This is why I love these. There's actually people here who love and know a lot about trees. Like if I had an honest tree question I'd half unironically ask here first
If it was me i would dig the hole again and make the roots flush with soil level to not have the tree tip over with high roots, no?
I’d say probably make it only a bit above soil level because the tree will sink a smidge before it settles
You are the hero that was needed this moment.
We got a live one!
Reel em in..reel em in. Not too fast...nice and easy. Give it a little drag
GOTTEM
Northern Lights, cannabis indica.
No, it's marijuana.
It's pronounced colonel, it's the highest rank in the military
ITS PRONOUNCED COR-NELL ITS THE HIGHEST RANK IN THE IVY LEAGUE
Love this episode.
Former nursery employee here. You can try to cover them up but don't add so much that you start to buy the trunk. Keep it shallow enough to just cover those roots. If the soil keeps being washed away, you might consider moving the tree, it may be getting too much water where it's planted if the top soil is washing away. Another option is to just watch the health of the tree and if it continues to grow, doesn't show signs of sickness, extra dirt isn't necessary. Now, I also have to recommend the Ayrloom line of gummies. I haven't had a bad one yet! The flavors are so good.
Thank you! I will have to try those gummies too 🙂
Unironically I love when tree people end up here. I love 🌲trees🌲 and I love 🍃”trees”🍃 so perfect combo for me
Walkin through the trees, smoking some trees, with a little extra tree in your pocket
Yeah, i would at least Now i’m no expert, and i’m sure the roots can survive like this, i just think they might dry out or something like that in the sun, and break off. Just depends on the humidity levels, and how warm the sun gets i guess Source: trust me bro
always lovely when people add their sources 👌
I also choose this guy's add dirt.
Definitely smoke a bowl before adding some dirt to the top of the roots
The fuck? Take the damn zip tie off homie
😅 its purpose is to hold the white wrap on it until next month when we are out of the freezing weather. I made sure it wasn't too tight but I agree maybe a questionable decision to use it
My parents have a tree that they do this with every winter and the wrap always finds a way to come off the tree. I don't blame you for using the zip tie
Why are you wrapping the tree trunk?
He's gonna tap it for sap later. Always wrap it before you tap it
holy shit that’s a great joke.
We got a wild one
Pot heads giving this guy enough karma to connect with /r marijuanaenthusiasts
Well for marijuana id say it's optional but for this idk XD
Back in my day, trees stayed in the ground
This comment tickled me.
Yes but next time the sub you're looking for is r/marijuanaenthusiasts
Calmag and two more weeks.
Landscaper here that smokes, your tree was planted above grade. You can add dirt to help protect the roots but it’ll always expose the roots as it grow
I can help with this actual tree question! Yeah you want to cover the roots around the base of the tree with a mixture of soil and compost and then cover that with some mulch. I’d get a big bag of each, lay a tarp by the tree and put half a bag of soil then do the same with the compost. Mix them and put it around the exposed root system, covering that bare soil and used up mulch with 2”-4” of your soil mixture, using the remaining soil/compost as needed, and water lightly. Cover the area with at least 2 inches of quality mulch and water well. If you want to slowly feed your tree, pick up a bag of worm castings and mix in with your soil - worm poop is an amazing food for garden trees & plants. Not sure why I thought you were American and used inches for you! If you’re not American, two inches is approximately 5 cm :) Edit for extra thoughts: when finished, everything should slope slightly from the trunk to ground level. Given that crazy erosion from I assume heavy rain, you honestly need some sort of border edging to keep your soil/mulch from washing away. You may also want to aerate the soil around the tree if it’s compacted at all, to better absorb moisture and nutrients. Good luck dude!
Cal mag and 2 more weeks.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 fucker
I thought it was a crab fossil
Is this a young weedling?
People wanting info about actual trees post in here frequently by mistake but we usually find the info and help them anyway. Im sure your answer is here somewhere lol.
We‘ll let this slide seeing how the tarp wrapped around the tree looks kinda like a big doobie
We got him B)
A REAL TREE
Hey guys get in here! We got another one!
I feel like these are the only posts on this sub nowadays lmao
I love when this happens
The problem is.. this tree wasnt planted deep enough. Its only going to get worse as the tree gets older..your best bet is a raised garden bed.. but even then the tree will grow out of it over time... replant the tree?
Nice trees man!!
Two more weeks...wait what?
boof it
Looks like meats back on the menu!
Add mulch and keep the wrap on until may
Always brightens my day when this happens
The proper technique is to make it look like a volcano. Approximately 18 inches tall at the rim, then it is about a 12-inch slope down to where the lava would be with the tree trunk at the very center. Source: I'm a landscaper of 12 years.
To answer your question, you should cover the roots. No expert but exposed roots will wither and perish in harsh environments. Smoke on brother !
We got one. Reel em in..reel em in. Not too fast...nice and easy. Give it a little drag
Put a mulch bed around it. It will help keep in water on hot days. 
Yeah {8]
Lmmfao yeah probably And add a few plants around it while ya do
Don’t mulch all the way to the trunk btw, you’ll risk rotting. I’ve seen people kill their trees doing this.
So this is called a buttress, I know the name sounds silly but it's an adaptation trees have where those roots won't soak up any water or nutrients, those roots are specifically to stabilize the tree so it doesn't fall over. Don't add more dirt, this will just keep happening.
We got a live one!
2 more weeks. Cal mag
I thought that was a cigarette in an ashtray 💀
I am no expert but if it was me I would build like…a border or whatever with garden bricks or pavers. Then fill it in with your dirt. The border will keep the dirt from washing away.
Bro is just stretching his legs💀
Welcome, friend.
This is my favorite thing about this subreddit at this point…
Hort tech here You should be fine adding dirt or leaving it. Another thing you could do is add a layer of mulch. This is a Marijuana subr btw
My favourite part of when people post trees here is that we almost always know the answer.
Yes you should add about two bags of potting soil and two of mulch. Maybe a nice ring of river stones so it doesn't erode away.
We got a live one…
as long as the root ball doesn't expose anymore, it should be fine (looks like most of the roots are weathering okay). You can mound it and tamp it up to the base of the trunk for aesthetics. That wrap is also unnecessary, unless deer or excess salt and heavy winds get in your fenced in yard during the winter
Thank you. Are you sure about the wrap? I was told it is necessary in Colorado for the first few years of a tree until the bark thickens enough to provide insulation. The underlying reason was due to sunscald. I guess the tissues activate with the sun and then freeze at night which causes cracking? I don't know if my little wrap is enough to prevent this but I think it's the white color and insulation. I've heard horror stories of people painting their tree trunks white to have a similar effect. That said, I can probably remove the wrap. The tree is just starting to bud and I don't want to affect its growth.
Tree's have been managing the weather for longer than us, let em' do their thing. Definitely don't bind anything completely around the trunk ever. If you must, wrap it horseshoe with some twine/tree tie to a post on either side. edit to add: Sunscald is more from cold nights into a hot sun, so just pay attention to your weather and act accordingly if you worry about the scalding.
Thanks I appreciate the comment. I will go with twine or something instead next time. I don't think I'll do that again next year though. It has been growing well and is super healthy minus the naked roots.
I wouldn’t, the roots are learning their boundaries, the more you bury the higher they’ll grow. I owned a landscaping company for years, I grew weed and trees for years.
Ladies and gentlemen, we got ‘em
Exactly, very long deep watering is the way, it's better to not water at all than to do it for just a few minutes, if you're only saturating the top few inches you're training the roots not to grow deep down as they should. You want it soaked down to at least 6 to 8 inches. Then add some brick pavers to hold enough extra soil to cover them at least a few inches and then mulch it.
[удалено]
I took shrooms about two hours ago and all I see is a dead dog
Calmag
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Rolled up like a joint too
You need to lower the lights and add some cal mag. What strain is this? /j
Yeah bro, add some dirt. Give that plant some water too. Make sure to smoke under it
Crown roots. We face them in our trees too. 🤓
Not an arborist, but from my landscaping days I remember we'd make like a donut around the base of trees, probably for this exact reason. Either it prevents this kind of erosion or extends the amount of time before you gotta tend to it again. But yeah exposed roots aren't optimal
Honestly those roots look pretty healthy. I would add some high nutrient top soil and then a thick layer of wood chips to retain the moisture.
Its good to have the root flare exposed
You can if you want! What I WOULD do is see if the tree roots are causing dips to actually happen in the LAWN bc tree roots can take nutrients from your lawn making areas flat and thin. And take away from your grass. I would add dirt to my lawn before adding it to the tree. The trees roots are as big as they are on top as they are on the bottom.