 About Community Planting
Why have a community planting?
Community Plantings are about more than just planting trees. This project is a way for getting community members, residents and local community groups together to interact in an activity which is beneficial for the area, and for all of the people who reside there.
During these events, residents have a chance to talk to neighbours they've met before, as well as get to know other community members they might otherwise never meet.
The trees planted on these days are kept to a very high standard with a stringent maintenance schedule to give these trees a head start into growing up as strong healthy street trees. River City Garden & Lawn Pty Ltd have been involved with the preparation and execution of Community Street Tree programs for over 5 years. Within this time River City Garden & Lawn have ascertained a great deal of experience through seamlessly running these projects.
Aftercare
 All street trees planted as part of this initiative are put on a program of 12 months of aftercare. The purpose of this is to help the newly planted trees establish themselves. It also gives River City Garden & Lawn an opportunity to report on any vandalism, or trees which may be in decline due to disease or other factors. Aftercare consists of:
- weekly watering of these trees during the establishment period
- remulching all trees - keeping a properly shaped berm of mulch around the base of the tree helps with keeping moisture in the soil closest to the root ball, as well as keeping the weeds away from the tree. The berm is also useful for protecting the trees agains lawnmowers and whipper snippers.
- trimming unwanted sucker growth - street trees are formatively pruned so that the tree is shaped properly as it grows. As well as making the tree more aesthetically pleasing, trimming also helps motorists and pedestrians with visibility.
Other work that can happen during aftercare is straightening and staking trees that may have been knocked over early or have grown top heavy too quickly. Stakes are removed some time after planting so that the tree may establish a stronger calliper. As part of ongoing maintenance, all Community Planting trees are watered regularly.
 Drought Measures – Tree Planting
In the current drought situation, River City Garden & Lawn Pty Ltd and the Brisbane City Council have taken a number of measures to ensure all trees planted thrive through the drought as best as possible.
Along with a stringent maintenance schedule, River City Garden & Lawn Pty Ltd implement a number of procedures and materials to ensure everything is being done to establish newly planted trees. The following is a list of these tools and materials;
- Grade "A" Recycled Water – Every tree is watered using Grade "A" Recycled Water, this is collected from various treatment plants across Brisbane. This water is constantly tested and safe to use.
- Agricrop “Aquagro Gold” & Stamina90 Wetting Agents – These products are additives to the water. With the drought, some areas have become hydrophobic – this means that instead of the water being absorbed into the soil, it just runs off. These products work by making the water “wetter”. In other words, they are similar to a detergent, reducing the surface tension of the water and allow it to “wet” the waxy surface of hydrophobic soil particles. This allows the water to freely move into the soil pores to where it’s needed at the roots of the tree.
 Water Retainer: Hydrocell – Hydrocell is a white foamy resin, mixed into the soil prior to planting. It acts as a sponge in the ground and holds water close to the root ball of the tree. This product has been successfully trialled by the Brisbane City Council, Ibrox Park Nursery and River City Garden & Lawn and is used with all tree planting projects.
- Equipment (Water Spear) – A Water spear is a tool attached instead of a spray nozzle. The idea of this tool is to physically penetrate the ground next to the root ball of the tree and water directly to where the tree needs it. This is the most effective means of watering street trees. The water spear is an effective tool in not only using less water (delivering straight to the roots) but also eradicates run-off into the storm water system.
- Mulching – All trees planted are heavily mulched with Forest Chip Mulch. This keeps the ground moist and prevents any evaporation from the soil around the tree.
Together with regular watering and monitoring procedures the above products give new trees the advantage when surviving in the drought.
It has been proven that streets planted by the community are less susceptible to vandalism as it is the local community who plant and look after their own trees.
This project is a great way for communities to come together to achieve something that everyone can be proud of. For further information, please contact Simon, Justin or Barry.
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