Progress in the Copse



Wednesday 2nd May 2012
Another dull start to the day.

Every single tree I planted courtesy of Lincolnshire's Hedgerow and Small Woodlands Grant has survived. Peering down into those plastic tubes a variety of fresh green leaves peer back up. Some have even made it into the fresh air above the confines of their tubular home. So the plastic tubes, which cost about five times as much as the trees themselves, have done their job so far in protecting the young saplings from the ravages of the hares and the worst of the weather.

But there is one more threat. Believe it or not, the grass growing around them could kill them, competing for the soils resources but also emitting growth stunting chemicals. At the very least, it will seriously inhibit their growth. I could spray round the base of each tree, but this does not sit at all comfortably with my beliefs.
So instead, I will need to keep the area around each tree well mulched, excluding light and so excluding grass. My plan was to make good use of the grass mowings, but so far it's been too wet to try and collect them. I'm also using every paper feed bag or cardboard box which comes my way. Ugly, but they'll do the job, they'll rot down harmlessly and they can be covered with mulch when I get the chance.

A gentle stroll through the woods  listening to the dawn chorus is just a few years away!