AN OVERVIEW OF
THE PLANTING PROCESS
- Select general areas where you would like to plant trees.
- Narrow down these areas based on the criteria outlined in this handout.
- Test the ground to see how easy it is to dig.
- Digging conditions
- If the digging is easy and there are no rocks in the way, you can construct your rainwater harvesting earthworks prior to planting your tree.
- If digging is difficult, your rainwater harvesting earthworks will have to be built around the places where you are able to make a good enough hole. You can mark these places by putting stakes or sticks in the ground.
- Plant your tree.
- Water and Mulch your tree.
- Maintenance.
-Make sure that you have addressed all of the potential erosion issues on your property. -Plant when there is adequate moisture in the soil. (This will also make the digging a lot easier):
SPRING- when the snow is melting. Moisture at this time of year is generally limited to the amount of snow-pack leftover from winter. Spring can be a moist and cool season but it is generally short-lived and precedes our hottest and driest months. Trees planted at this time of year will have a shorter period of time in which to become established.
SUMMER- during the monsoon rains. Local foresters recommend that you plant your trees at this time. The season brings welcome relief from high temperatures and drought, but rain patterns are unpredictable. You will still have to water your trees during dry spells. Heavy monsoon rains have the potential to do more harm than good in areas that have been impacted by forest fires. Without vegetation in place to buffer and absorb the heavy rain as it falls, water flows quickly over the surface in the form of runoff, carrying much of the soil with it. If you have any potential erosion issues on your site you will most likely be faced with them. after the first big rain. Make sure that you don't plant your tree where it will wash away!
FALL- after the monsoon rains. This can be an ideal time for planting when the soil is still moist, and has not yet frozen. Trees will still need watering during the lingering hot and dry months, but cooler temperatures will soon start to slow down evaporation leaving a full six months or more in which trees can become established before the summer heat begins again.
WHERE TO PLANT
- Follow the Firewise Guidelines (see the U of Arizona Extension Firewise site)
- Choose sites that you like.
- Choose sites that are convenient to access and maintain.
a. Where your garden hose can reach. .
b. Next to a path or driveway where you will be walking anyway.
- Choose a site where there is enough soil to dig a hole.
- Look for opportunities to harvest rainwater, runoff, and possibly even greywater.
You can stack functions. Think about what you want from your tree and plant it in a place where it can serve multiple functions, such as:
- Screening for privacy
- Beautification and aesthetics
- Shade
- Passive cooling for your house (when planted on east or west sides)
- Windbreak.
- Wildlife habitat
If you are planting in a rainwater harvesting earthwork, you can think about how the placement of your planting could also help to control flooding and erosive runoff.
What
does your
tree need from you?
In nature, tree seeds germinate and grow when and where conditions are suitable for their survival. When we plant trees, we make the decision about where the tree will have to live. It then becomes our responsibility to ensure that the tree has what it needs for survival. Tree seedlings need: soil, moisture, nutrients, and shade from the hot afternoon sun. Look for "microsites". A microsite or microhabitat is a low, protected area that provides an ideal habitat for your tree's needs.
Where
NOT to plant:
- On top of a mound of dirt: Since water flows downhill and settles in low areas, high spots are the first to dry out. Plant in low spots where the moisture will stay for longer. .
- In a place that is difficult to access. Chances are that you will either forget or get tired of taking care of your tree. Make it easy for yourself.
What
is
rainwater harvesting?
Rainwater harvesting is the act of catching and utilizing rainwater as close as possible to where it falls. Many people are familiar with the use of cisterns or tanks for storing rainwater for later use, but fewer are familiar with the concept of storing and using rainwater in the existing soil, or in vegetation. Imagine your Ponderosa as a living cistern. The water that you harvest gets put to immediate use by your tree, which in turn can be used and appreciated by you and your neighbors, while becoming a part of the forest ecosystem
Harvesting rainwater is both an art and a science. It can be very elaborate, technical, and used on a massive scale, but it can also be as simple and small scale as moving a few rocks or sticks to the downhill side of your planting. Even an act as simple as this can have major positive impacts.
A rainwater
harvesting earthwork is essentially a net in
the flow. It is any reformation of the landscape that slows down or
redirects
the flow of water allowing infiltration into the
soil, rather than
erosive runoff over the soil. Think of it as a
human made microsite.
Oftentimes, earthworks consist of a low basin, or planting area, a
berm, which
is a raised barrier in the path of water, or any combination or
variation of
these basic formations.
Both the strategy that you choose and the scale on which it is implemented depends entirely on the specific conditions of your site and how much you want to invest in it. For the purposes of this workshop we will be investigating only those strategies that provide the most benefit for the least amount of time and energy spent.
The
benefits of
harvesting rainwater in the soil:
- Enables you to transform potentially damaging runoff into a resource.
- Helps to control erosion both on your site as well as downhill and downstream of your site.
- Prevents soil loss. By slowing down the flow of water we also slow down the flow of nutrient-rich sediments in the water. As water infiltrates into the soil, these sediments collect on the surface, providing ideal planting beds.
- Maximizes the potential of any source of water. Whether it is coming from a hose, bucket, storm cloud, or snow-bank, thereby minimizing the amount of supplemental irrigation needed, and gets that water deeper into the soil.
- Reduces maintenance needs by working with nature rather than against it.
- Helps to keep mulch in place reducing the need for re-mulching.
-
Protect
new plantings from low-angle sun and
wind.
Planting your
tree:
Once you have narrowed down a specific location for planting you should test the ground for digability. If you are unable to dig a hole of the appropriate size for the tree you will have to try another spot. If you are in a very rocky area, the best way to find a location is with a pick. Test the ground with light swings of the tool, passing over the spots where you hit rock. Once you find soil, you can give the pick a good swing, sinking the blade. Then, with the blade still in the earth, jiggle the handle around to test and start breaking up the rocks and soil. The nice thing about using a pick is that you can find the spaces between the rocks more easily and pry them out of the hole.
Mulching helps to protect the soil around the tree from drying, cracking, and erosion. It keeps the area cooler and moister. If you use an organic mulch it will also provide nutrients to your tree and help to build the soil as it biodegrades. This is the only fertilization that native trees need. Do not use any synthetic fertilizers, and do not mix any amendments into the soil as recent studies have shown that this can actually have negative effects on native trees. Spread a layer 3 to 4' '. thick taking care not to pile it directly against the base 'of the tree.
Cages protect young tree seedlings from deer, elk, and other hungry wildlife that love to eat the fresh new growth. There are all kinds of devices that you can buy which are specifically designed for this purpose. The homemade chicken wire cage is the cheapest and easiest to build and use. Simply cut out a piece wide enough to wrap around the tree (while still giving it plenty of room). Cut out another piece to cover the opening on top. Wire it all together with bailing wire or strong twine, and stake it down. .
Maintenance consists mainly of watering. For the first few weeks, you can give your tree a good, deep watering twice a week. After this, if the tree looks to be healthy (which it should) cut the watering back to once a week. If you can't get up to Summerhaven in time for a watering, you can either ask a neighbor to lend a hand, of give it extra water and mulch before you leave. It should be fine. Five to ten gallons of water per watering should suffice. Water deeply and allow the soil to dry out between watering to encourage deep root growth. If you use buckets or containers with holes in them to water, make sure that you weigh them down so that they do not blow away after they are empty.
Wildworks Landscaping 743-1309
Russ
Buhrow is a water harvesting pioneer in
Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands by Brad Lancaster
The
long awaited, user-friendly, comprehensive, how-to manual by one of
City
of
Copies
of this manual are available from the City of
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