Can I add soil around an old tree trunk to fix erosion?
Adding soil or forming a drainage cone around the base of an established tree risks damaging it. The quotes show a homeowner trying to fix a 3 to 4 cm erosion depression near a large, decades-old tree, but piling soil directly against the trunk can trap moisture and harm the tree's health.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since August 2026.
- It is not one crowd: 2 people on Reddit and 1 on Stack Exchange ran into the same thing.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Spread the soil out over a 6 to 8 year project adding only 1/2 centimeter at a timeDid this help you?
- 2Use excess topsoil to make deeper garden beds somewhere away from the treeDid this help you?
- 3Maintain 5 centimeters of organic mulch instead of adding topsoilDid this help you?
- 4watering that area more oftenDid this help you?
- 5mixing in topsoil, compost, and peat moss to help retain waterDid this help you?
- 6Hand pulling grass to avoid cutting roots with an edgerDid this help you?
- 7Smothering grass and weeds with cardboard underneath the mulchDid this help you?
- 8Using large, uneven rocks or blocks set above ground to hold the mulch in without diggingDid this help you?
- 9Flipping the grass and mulching directly over it without carving a trenchDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“So I recently bought a house, 70 years old, and its been through a lot. In the front yard is a tree that is easily 15 metres tall, and has been there for decades. Around the base there is a depression about 3-4 cm deep, looks to be erosion.”source ↗
“CAN I form up a bit of a drainage cone around this area? SHOULD I do this?”source ↗
“I’m noticing the dirt underneath the trees towards the back is drying out faster than the rest. Is that bc of the trees? And should I just water that area more often?”source ↗
“Im mainly just wondering if that area towards the back is drier bc of the trees near it. The seed itself is fine. No top dressing or peat moss, just raked it in a bit”source ↗
“I am planning on putting mulch around the tree. First time ever doing it. Due to it being so close to sidewalk and how low the grass is (mostly fescue around tree but bermuda everywhere else), should I use a half moon edger and make a circled trench a few inches away from the sidewalk, or should I just dig a 1 inch circle and put bricks to hold the mulch in, or do both?”source ↗
“The roots are one thing im struggling with. Instead of edging, I might be able to get away with putting blocks (wont be perfectly flat due to roots...maybe large uneven rocks would work better?)”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7Why is my newly transplanted tree dying after moving from a pot?
- 3How to landscape a mulch bed around exposed tree roots
- 2Will digging a trench kill my mature trees?
- 5How to fix hard, dry, sandy yard soil for a garden
- 2How to make new landscaping rocks and mulch look natural
- 2How to build a retaining wall over tree roots