Day two: squaring the circle

On a Tuesday we work in teams rather than individually in our areas, so that we can take on bigger projects; besides, it is a great teambuilding exercise and I had a lot of fun.

Today, we were going to plant trees "the Kew way".

As you can imagine, plants are essential to Kew, and planting trees in the right way is essential to their prompt establishment and future well-being.

Based on research showing that wide, rather than deep, holes improve tree establishment (by Whitcomb), and  that root spread is quicker and easier if the planting hole is square instead of round (where they tend to bend in circles, as when potbound - by Kirkham), staff at the Arboretum developed planting specifications: "the Kew way", to ensure the planting holes enable the establishment of the plant while also being gracefully pleasant for the eye from the very beginning. Establishment is finally given a further boost by the use of mycorrhizae in the planting hole.

It was the first time planting trees this way for the four of us in our team, and a bit like being part of a special ritual, there, in the drizzle, planting a tree for everyone to admire and enjoy over the decades to come...

Incidentally, I made my first encounter with a couple of tools: the half-moon edger and the turf lifter...

After planting the trees in the morning, in the afternoon we got more decent weather and went around mulching the planting holes to help water retention and nutrient availability, reducing weed competition and giving that nice finishing touch...

To mark the occasion, I went back after work to have a look at the newly planted tree, an Alnus jorullensis (Mexican alder), in all its glory. There's me giving you an idea of its size...