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So the lady of my house thought it would look pleasing to cover the soils underneath a plant with tiles. My first instinct says that it is not healthy for the plant, but I’m not a gardener so I don’t have a good reason to tell her why. Is it OK to cover soils underneath a plant for aesthetic reason?

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jeffrey
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  • If you like the look, should be okay. I like the look of shredded hardwood mulch (which also helps conserve moisture and adds to the soil fertility), but to each his own. – aparente001 Oct 19 '22 at 05:36

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The roots that actually support the tree's growth are well beyond the area covered by the tiles (they're probably as far out as the fence), and the tiles themselves have space for water to get through to those few roots near the trunk, so there's no problem at all with this arrangement. As the tree grows, the trunk will get wider and start popping the tiles near it, at which point you may want to re-think this design.

Jurp
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This is totally okay! If the tree needs more space to grow, the tree will just push the tiles outward to make more room for the trunk. The roots won't matter because tree roots extend much further than where the stones are placed, however if a root reached the topsoil underneath the stones, the stones might be pushed upward a little bit.

ToxicFlame427
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