bed under willow tree

[wisconsin]

Hi,

I thought it would be really cool last year to have tulips under the 3 largest trees in my yard. We removed the turf and added some soil under two of the trees and the soil level is about the same as the original. However, under the willow tree, we put down newspapers, soil on top of that, and mulch on top of that. It's about 4-6 inches above the original grade. Now I've found out you are never supposed to change the grade under a tree or you can smother the feeder roots.

Question is, what do I do now? Will the willow be OK? Or should I remove the soil back to the original grade. If the roots have grown up into the soil, then won't it hurt the tree if I remove them? Thanks for any help.

[Newt]

Hi Wisconsin,

What you were told is correct.* You should never change the grade around a tree.* Willows being the heavy root growers can deal with it a bit better then most, but for the health of the tree it would be best to expose the rootflare.* You can trim any feeder roots that have risen to the surface looking for oxygen.* Take a look here with some videos you can view that will be helpful.* Lots to click on at the bottom of the page too.
http://www.tlcfortrees.info/planting%20depth.htm

Newt