Tree Planting Methods

Volunteers have been getting up every Monday-Thursday morning at dawn to file into the forest and plant or tend to new trees. Again, volunteers continue their tree care and planting after breakfast! Here are some of the methods that are used, which have been found to have an 80% through 90% success rate! These methods have been developed here to specifically suit the climate and dry, depleted soil. 

                     

Sadhana Forest uses “swales and mounds” to plant trees. Swales, carved into the ground, collect water to increase the amount of water absorbed into the ground and prevent soil erosion. The soil that is removed from the ground in these ditches is mixed with humanure and charcoal soaked in urine and piled above ground in mounds about 4 feet away from the swales, in which the tree is planted. This allows a welcoming environment for the beginning phases of the baby tree's life. 

Sometimes, trees have also been planted directly in the ground and "bunds" of soil were used to direct and conserve water.

At Sadhana Forest, volunteers have been using the "Wick Irrigation Method." This method can be used in extreme climates with eroded soils and difficult microclimates. The main purpose of this method is to increase water use efficiency. A plastic water bottle protrudes from the ground with a cotton wick coming from the bottom. The wick is coiled and buried under the roots of the newly planted tree. The water is placed in the water bottle, and is absorbed by the cotton wick. gravity brings the water straight to the roots of the tree. This way, over-irrigation is prevented for water conservation purposes and the water is brought directly to the roots, instead of sliding over the dry topsoil or dispersing. Solutions or plant food can also be added as a direct source of nutrients for the tree. Also, no build up of salt or other minerals will be left over from evaporating water, and it is extremely beneficial because this method does not require electricity, pipelines, planning or operation!

Pia dancing with a wick irrigation bottle at the crack of dawn :)

Trees here have been planted using plastic tubes, which the mound is built around. Once the tree is planted, the tube is filled with water. Once the soil in the tube is completely saturated, the tube is removed.

Taking out the tube!

A method is also used in order to build fertile soils out of nutritionally poor soils (red clay soils), so that the soil will hold onto moisture and hold nutrients. First, an even surface is cleared in large patches. Then, human compost is mixed in with the soil in a giant pile. Dry leaves and organic matter such as weeds or grass are collected, and charcoal is soaked in urine over night. It also helps to soak the dry organic material overnight in water. Alternate about 12 thin layers of the organic matter, then the compost, then the charcoal. The charcoal is like a nutrient batter that is "charged" with urine, which will be an available supply of nutrients that will not wash away during heavy monsoon/rainfall. Last, mulch the pile with dry grass or leaves to keep the sunlight off of the pile and retail moisture and reduce weed growth. Watering the pile often is important. Providing shade by creating a structure and planting legumes over the pile is helpful because it will keep the pile moist and the falling legumes contribute added nitrogen!

Increasing Soil Fertility

The baby trees in the "Tree Nursery"

Once the trees have been planted in open and dry land, they must be covered in mulch, which is any organic matter that will break down over time to increase soil productivity. It also acts as a sponge to hold moisture and shields the ground from direct sunlight. Mulching must be maintained and done repeatedly for each tree until the forest develops a canopy, which will eventually make its own mulch ("leaf litter") and shield the newer trees from the sun. To attain mulch, volunteers have collected bags of leaves from the forest, use ripped up cardboard or cardboard sheets that have been thrown away.