Volunteer Grower Tree Scheme

Summer 2011Number 4

Contact usVolunteer Grower is a

production of Trees For Life.

If you would like to help us save paper by receiving this via

email, please let us know.

Welcome 2011 seasonBy JENNIFER HOWE Volunteer Grower Coordinator

Welcome all growers to the 2011 growing season, and

the first of two newsletters for the year. If you are a new grower this year, you are one of 196 keen new volunteers who have joined the growing team, comprised of over 900 volunteers located throughout the state. You are part of a grand scheme growing almost 900,000 seedlings for rural South Australia - an effort we can all be proud of. With so many people growing, I often pause to wonder who else might be growing in their backyard nearby?

This newsletter is to let you know you’re not alone and that help is available if required. If things aren’t going well please be proactive and give us a call at the office today, whether it be just for reassurance or to help you solve any problems you may have encountered. At this stage problems can still be remedied, so don’t delay – Trees For Life landholders and projects are relying on your growing efforts.

By now, most of you will have tubed up all of your soil, sown most of your seeds and be awaiting germination. Don’t forget to move your seedlings into full sun as soon as possible.

Trees For Life

5 May Tce

Brooklyn Park 5032

Ph: 8406 0500

Fax: 8406 0599

info@treesforlife.org.au

www.treesforlife.org.au

Conditions this year Over the last few months we

have been experiencing cooler temperatures than usually expected at this time of year. You may find this has slowed germination dramatically in comparison with other years, as often native seed species rely on a hot spell to really get them going. Because of these lower temperatures, you may wish to remove the shadecloth from your seedlings to give them more heat and sun. Shadecloth is usually only necessary to help protect your seeds from searing temperatures during the first few weeks of germination. Considering that the searing temperatures are lacking this year, the shadecloth may not be necessary.

Another common situation reported this season has been the plentiful appearance of fungal growth (see below).

Tonnes of ToadstoolsHave you experienced an

outburst of fungi in your growing boxes this year? We have had many concerned growers phone in wondering if it will affect their growing in any way. Well the answer is no – there is no need for concern

Seed replacement ends February 4, 2011

Seed ReplacementIf your seed has

not germinated in the time specified in the appendix of your Growers’ Handbook (pages 40 - 47), please phone us before February 4 and we will replace it. Ph 8406 0500.

continued overleaf

Backup stock available

April 15, 16 & 17 2011

@ the TFL Nursery

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

(details printed in March ReLeaf )

The roots are deeper than you think!

What you need to do in Jan & FebCall TFL for replacement seed if required.

Establish contact with your landholder if you have not already heard from them.

Move seedlings into full sun at the first true leaf stage.

Continue to keep your seedlings moist using a soft spray and ensure the soil at the bottom of the tubes does not dry out.

Carry out thinning & transplanting as required. See pages 20 - 23 of the Growers’ Handbook.

•

•

•

•

•

From left, Manager Maureen Redfern, Tree Scheme Officer Graham Greaves, Grower Coordinator Jennifer Howe and Nursery Assistant Katherine Hill. (Absent - Seedbank Manager Bruce Smith and Nursery Assistant Sam Rudolph).

Meet Martina - new Grower Coordinator

We would like to introduce you to a new addition to the Tree Scheme team, Martina Thompson (below), who is taking

on the role of Grower Coordinator during Jennie’s absence. Jennie has been busy sowing her own seeds over recent months and is expecting her first child with husband Rob in mid February. Good luck Jennie and welcome Martina. You can give Martina a call if you have any concerns or questions with your growing.

as there will be no adverse effects on your germinating plants. However it is best to remove them to stop further spread of fungal spores. Remove them carefully by hand or with scissors so as not to disturb the soil. They will not re-grow if broken off. Always ensure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling fungi.

Fungal spores are almost

(Toadstools..... continued from front page)

The importance of watering all the way to the bottom of the tube

You may be surprised to know that what you see

growing on the surface does not necessarily reflect what is happening underground. This tiny Acacia seedling (pictured left) is less than 2cm high on the surface, yet it already has an extensive root system which extends to the bottom of the tube (over 15cm long). It is vital to ensure your watering is thorough enough to wet through the entire length of the tube, to penetrate the roots which are growing and in search of water at the bottom of your tubes. Always monitor your watering by checking the soil moisture through the holes in the bottom of the tubes rather than at the surface level.

Martina Thompson (left) is welcomed to Trees For Life by Jennie Howe (right).A cross section of a seedling tube,

displaying the size of the roots of an Acacia species at 3 weeks old.

The Tree Scheme Teamalways present within the potting mix, however this year the cooler temperatures combined with the moist conditions inside your watered tubes have created the perfect habitat for the fungal fruiting bodies to form.

The toadstools will only last a day or two and will usually shrivel up when the boxes are placed in full sun with shadecloth removed.

Front images: (Top) Dodonaea viscosa spatulata, (middle) growers attending a propagation workshop, (bottom) Angela of Pt Noarlunga, a 2010 Grower.

Toadstools emerging in the evening... ...and fully formed by morning. (J. Feder)