Protect your trees from power mower blight

Ever heard a tree scream? You might have if you'd listened closely and your lawn mower hadn't been so loud.

Jim Midcap, an Extension Service horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, says trees planted in turf areas are always in danger of what he calls "power mower blight."

"Power mower blight is caused mostly by well-meaning, dedicated turfclippers who vow to cut every blade of grass and not resort to such things as hand-held shears," Midcap said. "In close-quarters combat with a power mower, the tree generally loses."

Trees may not scream very loudly, but that doesn't mean the wounds gashed open by lawn mowers, and sometimes power trimmers, aren't real injuries. The gouging edges of mowers can seriously hurt trees, especially young ones.

"This wounding lays open sensitive inner tissue and can allow insects and diseases to attack," Midcap said.

"Insects, in fact, will generally attack a tree in poor health. And creating an open wound is asking for trouble."

A jagged wound will heal poorly, he said. It will allow the tree's vigor to decline and make it more susceptible to such stressful times as drought or extreme cold.

What really makes power mower blight so bad, Midcap said, is that it's always avoidable. "You just need to take precautions to protect the tree," he said.