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5 May Tce

Brooklyn Park 5032

Ph: 8406 0500

Fax: 8406 0599

info@treesforlife.org.au

www.treesforlife.org.au

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The GrowerTree Scheme Autumn 2012Number 7

As the season winds down...By JeNNie Howe

Tree Scheme Grower Coordinator

Greetings Trees For Life (TFL) Growers! The end of the season is

almost here, but as I write this article many of you are at quite different stages. Members growing for Back-up and Million Trees have already completed their growing project, having delivered their seedlings to our nursery in March ready to support all our other Growers with their orders.Volunteers growing for landholders are carefully preparing to hand over their seedlings anytime between now and May, and members growing for themselves are busy making preparations for them to finally go in the ground! With over 1200 TFL members growing throughout SA this year it has really been a fantastic season. To all of you I say, thank you so much for your participation in the Tree Scheme.Your efforts are most appreciated and I really hope you enjoyed the experience. Please read overleaf for feedback on how the season has faired so far.

Heard from your Landholder?

If you haven’t had any contact with your landholder yet, please

make it a priority to contact them today. Sometimes landholders have moved and/or no longer require their seedlings (which can be heartbreaking

after all your efforts). But the earlier we can identify any such problems the more chance we have of being able to use your precious seedlings elsewhere. Please call me for assistance if you have been unable to establish contact.

Share your story

Other Growers have established contact with their landholders

long ago - some as long as 20 years! We have many Growers on our books who have been growing for the same landholder year after year. I hear stories of handover BBQs, picnics, joint family planting days, reunions, etc. If you have a story to tell, why not take some photos and share them with us and perhaps our TFL newsletter readers? I would love to see photos of you and your landholder at handover time, or any other celebrations you may have as a volunteer grower or self grower.

Do you need some Back-up seedlings?see overleaf for details

The 2012 Growing Stats Volunteer Growers 744 Self Growers 465 Total Growers 1,209

Landholder orders 546,100 Special project orders 42,850 Back-up stock 51,000 Total Seedlings 639,950

At this time of year we are able to gauge a real sense

of how the growing season is going and how Growers are fairing individually. This is because we have just received a significant proportion of all Tree Scheme seedling stock back to the TFL Nursery in March from our Backup and Project Growers. By examining the stock brought in combined with information gathered through telephone queries and request for seed replacement I am able to provide the following feedback to Growers:

Congratulations! The Tree Scheme staff is all in agreement that the overall quality delivered to our nursery has noticeably improved over the last few years. The size and strength of seedlings are excellent which means they are getting more sun and have been grown in a solid foundation – a well filled tube. We used to find a large proportion of our stock contained poorly filled tubes but we now estimate this has fallen to less than 10% which is an excellent result - well done! Growers have also realised the importance of thinning early and continually throughout the growing season to reduce competition and thus producing a stronger single seedling in each tube.

Front page images: 2012 Volunteer Growers delivering their seedlings at drop off time, (Top) Dan Moriarty, (middle) Kate, Linh & James Thompson, (bottom) Margaret Kings. This page: (Top) Terri Rodriguez, (middle) Jake Mallon, (bottom) Katrina Spark receiving feedback from TFL staff member Graham Greaves.

Back-up stock is still available

Ph 8406 0500

Troublesome species

Overall we found the quality of seedlings to be fantastic

this year so we are unable to attribute the cooler summer as an inhibiting factor on results (as some growers had concern). In a few isolated cases however, we have identified a few species that did not do well this season seemingly for this reason: Eucalyptus fasiculosa (Pink Gum), Acacia paradoxa (Kangaroo Thorn) and Dodonaea viscosa spatulata (Sticky Hop Bush) had slower germination rates this year and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (River Red Gum) tended to produce small seedlings this year. Unrelated to weather conditions, we also identified that seed specifically provided for Eucalyptus oleosa for AP Zone, and Eucalyptus leucoxylon pruinosa for CG Zone has performed unsuccessfully. Results for Rhagodia parabolica and Maireana brevifolia have been variable as per usual. Some people achieved 100% success and others had 0% germination.

Alternatively, Acacia myrtifolia results were some of the better specimens we have seen in years! As an understorey plant occurring in higher rainfall areas we suspect this normally quite fussy species favours cooler summers (as do many of us)!

Hints & Reminders Always include the Zone •Code on your label: Overall we are finding your seedling boxes clearly labelled, but often the Zone Code has been omitted. The Zone code ensures that the seedlings will go to the correct area.

Please remember to •remove the newspaper: TFL place newspaper on the bottom of the foam boxes upon supply to you to ensure soil does not escape through the drainage holes during delivery. Please make sure to remove it before placing your filled tubes back into the box to allow efficient drainage, hygiene and airflow. Rotting newspaper will encourage pests, bacteria, mould and disease.

Grade your seedlings: •Arranging your seedlings by height will enhance the amount of sunlight they receive and thus improve their strength and height. If you are growing more than one box of the same species, grade through the whole species not just within each box.

TFL Feedback on your Growing Results for 2012

Seedling Sale@ the TFL Nursery

May 30, 31 & June 1, 2 10am - 3pm

Bulk Stock for Revegetation& Individual Garden Plants

Are you growing for a landholder? If you have not been able to grow your full order you can collect Back-up stock from our Nursery (pictured above). Please phone us to make an appointment and also to find out what we have available. We may have to give you substitute species as we only have a limited supply. Be sure to bring your Growing Order with you and notate down what you need.

TFL Nursery

Cnr of Sir Donald Bradman Drive & May Terrace, Brooklyn Park