As Witham Tree Group we are obviously keen to be planting trees and have managed to plant over 20 trees for Witham Town Council for each of the last 3 years. We are, however, also committed to looking after those trees in the following years until they are well established. The biggest part of this is keeping them watered for at least the first 2 years.
You may have seen us out and about, usually on a Thursday morning, with our trailer mounted water bowser. First we fill with around 600 litres (130 gallons) of water from the river, with the council’s permission, then off to where our various trees are planted.
The usual watering is 2 cans per tree (20 litres, or 4 gallons). These are split between the base of the tree and down the watering tube that we put around the bottom of the hole when we plant. This encourages the trees roots to grow down into the wet soil below.
Because this summer has been so dry and hot, we have used almost twice as much water as usual to keep our trees alive. Although one tree appears to have died, all the other 20 or so are thriving.
We are now coming towards the end of the watering season and from a trees point of view hope that next summer will be a less “wonderfully hot and dry” year.
Interestingly, we have watered over 10,000 litres or 2,250 gallons onto trees this year, or around 1000 watering cans full!
Eric Teverson
September 2018
