Greetings everyone Nick here.

Tim Park from the Wellington City Council is a great friend of the Halo team and we wanted to share his knowledge on planting a tree. Take it away Tim.

Thanks Nick and hi everyone.

 It’s been an amazing summer but now that the days are getting shorter and rain is becoming more frequent it’s time to start thinking about planting trees again.

 When talking with our community group volunteers many of them tell me that they have to go back after their planting days to replant some of the plants. This is because some people have never planted trees before and often they just get stuck in as soon as they arrive as they are so keen. This is understandable as it’s a great feeling to plant a tree.

 A lot of time and money goes into producing trees for planting so we want to make sure that when they go in the ground they are given the best chance to survive/to thrive. The main things to remember are:

1)      Plant into damp ground

2)     Dig a hole bigger than the plant you are planting

3)     Compact the soil around the plant so there are no air pockets

All of this and more is mentioned in the video link below – and my tree dance!

http://youtu.be/lSH_WMCXgHE

If anyone is interested in getting involved with a local community restoration groups in Wellington they can contact our rangers on 04 499 4444. We already have over 100 groups across Wellington that are working very hard to bring nature back to our city.