The 2024 Watering Season Begins
We water the trees we plant for their first two years and longer if they need it. We provide a watering tube when we plant each tree so that we can deliver water to the bottom of the root ball, since watering only at the surface may not get water to the important lower roots. We then pour one 2 gallon/10 litre watering canful down the tube and one over the surface to ensure water reaches the upper root system.
This summer we have 156 trees to water – a record number – and they are well spaced around the town. We have planned a route and no doubt, as in previous years, we will refine it from experience. We have been eager to get started so that we can see how effective the route is and how long we can expect to spend on our tour of Witham. In 2022, the year of the great drought, our first watering round was on 21 April; in 2023, when we had more rain in the Spring, we did not start till 18 May. This year, when we have had record amounts of Spring rain, we had planned to start on 16 May but a succession of rainy days, including the watering day itself, persuaded us to postpone the launch.
We moved the start date to 23 May but after more than an inch of rain in 24 hours earlier in the week, we could see no point in pouring more water over the surface. However, given that we had also had a number of hot dry days, we were doubtful that the rain would have percolated sufficiently to the lower roots. So we went out just to pour a canful down each watering tube. This gave us the chance to remind ourselves exactly where all the trees to be watered were located.
So now we are ready to start the season properly with a full watering round. But the rain continues and it may well be that we will not need to get going fully until June, the latest date ever. Of course we are pleased that the trees are getting watered naturally and certainly the new trees seem to have settled in well. But we are anxious to sort out the most effective route and methods while we have a full team available before the holiday season reduces our numbers. As ever we would welcome any offers of assistance with this vital task – there is no point in planting trees but not watering them, as the planting at a number of new local housing estates demonstrates. Our need for more hands will increase in future years. In the last two years we have planted around 90 trees funded by the Forestry Commission via Essex County Council.
A condition of this funding is that these trees are watered for three years after planting, rather than the two which we have considered necessary in the past. We expect to be planting more trees funded in this way in the next planting season, so the watering demand will continue to increase for the next few years at least. If you can spare a couple of hours to help – usually on Thursday mornings – at any time during the summer, please let us know. If you can only help at weekends, let us know anyway, as we can alter our schedule to take advantage of your help.
Richard Hawkes
May 2024
About Company
The Witham Tree Group was formed in 2012 by a small group of likeminded residents with the aim of protecting and increasing the tree cover in our town for the benefit of local residents, both now and in the future, and the environment.
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