Am i understanding this correctly ?

My understanding from the internet is that you shouldnt put compost close to the trunk of a plant

However you can put soil and wood chips in contact with the trunk of a plant . is this correct , why is this

What is thinking behind soil mixed with compost in terms of whether this can be put close to the trunk of a plant as i want to apply a layer of that around some plants

 

I suppose it all depends on what type of compost and what type of plant. Very very wet compost put up against a young, tender plant might rot the plant, maybe. And deep, thick compost of any kind pressed up against a plum tree, for example, for a long time might cause it to send out suckers, which you wouldn’t want.

 

Its compost from a bag so its dry but i put water on it so its wet now . I was putting it around lots of different plants as i scrape off a little bit from the top and put some compost on

 

The general rule is that you don't put anything in contact with woody material. So for a tree or shrub, you keep the base clear of any mulch, compost, soil or anything you wish to put there. Some plants don't care but some are more susceptible to problems if the stems are wet.

 

This is a quote from the RHS guide to mulching:

• Leave a gap around woody stems Keep a 10cm (4in) mulch-free circle around any woody stems. Mulch can stay damp and cause rotting if it’s piled up around the base of shrubs and trees.

 

I think it depends on the plant, how well established it is, the type of soil and general conditions. I put bark mulch on my main sunny border which contains established grasses, perennials, shrubs and a tree, without any gaps. I would leave space around any trees and shrubs that have been recently planted though. My soil is sandy and it drains quickly.

 

I'm a bit confused. If you do not put soil, compost, mulch or bark chippings then what exactly are you supposed to have in contact with the trunk. You can't just have a circle of nothing then a circle of soil/compost outside that

 

Sometimes you have to use some imagination @hi2u_uk I planted some new fruit trees this winter and got OH to cut up some plastic drainpipe into 8" lengths then cut a slit so I could put one round each trunk, sitting it on the soil. That means I can mulch a good square of soil around the tree without cramming it up to their trunks and with a bit of height to stop mulch falling in.

By the time the trunks are old enough to need liberating form the plastic rings they'll have matured enough to cope. It's the constant damp and lack of air that rots the bark and lets in diseases and so on that will kill your trees and shrubs.

 

It's basically just a small gap, not a moat. I keep maybe a hand's width clear around the base of anything woody and mulch right up to that. Once they're properly established and the bark's thickened up it matters less, but for anything newly planted it's worth being careful.

 

Wow I had no idea. If i'd known this i would have wrapped plastic around or something similar

Are all my plants doomed then ?
The youngest is a blueberry i planted in winter 2025 in compost and soil

I don't have any new plants apart from a lingonberry that's coming next week. I will make sure to wrap the trunk in cling film for a year

 

Do not do this!

 

Do as others have suggested, plant your tree, shrub, whatever in soil/compost; plant to the same depth as it was in the pot it arrived in. If you want to put bark round the top of the pot just leave a gap of a couple of inches or so between the bark and the stem; the same goes if you put a mulch around the top of the pot.

 

You do realise that cling film will stop any air from getting to your trees/plants ?? Wrap some round your head and see how long you can manage without air. Experimentation is everything

 

Trees, particularly young trees, generally prefer not to have anything in touch with the trunk (other than air).
I always leave a gap around the trunk when I'm mulching around a tree, no matter what i'm mulching with - it's like a doughnut with a hole in the middle...