Tree planting preparation (Sadhana Forest method)

Recycle material and use low-tech techniques to plant trees to:

• Improve irrigation efficiency, • Improve young tree survival rate in harsh environment, • Rehabilitate the Dry Evergreen Tropical Forest (in this case near Auroville, India). Rehabilitation of the forest offers many other benefits such as soil rejuvenation, life-friendly microclimate development, biodiversity enhancement, water retention and so much more.

"If we could only understand what a tree does for us, how beneficial it is to life on earth, we would (as many tribes have done) revere all trees as brothers and sisters." (B. Mollison)

Difficulté

Easy Facile

Durée

1 hour(s) heure(s)

Catégories

Alimentation & Agriculture, Recyclage & Upcycling, Science & Biologie

Coût

0 EUR (€)

Tree, Sadhana en none Technique 0

Matériaux

Outils

Étape 1 - Preliminary requirements

Étape 2 - Analyze the topography of the terrain / identify slope

Étape 3 - Define where you want to plant the tree

Étape 4 - Build a mound

Étape 5 - Dig a hole in the soil mix (humanure, urine-activated charcoal, topsoil) in the tube

Étape 6 - If not done yet, build the bottle-irrigation system

1. Collect the material:
   1. Get a plastic bottle from trash, wasteland or nature directly,
   2. Get a rope,
   3. Get a pipe (ideally same diameter as the rope, length < 10 cm; adapt the procedure in accordance with locally-available material);
2. Assemble the rope and the pipe:
   1. Install the rope inside the pipe,
   2. Make a knot on the rope at the first end of the pipe,
3. Make a knot on the rope at second end of the pipe,
4. Assemble the pipe and the plastic bottle:
   1. Measure the diameter of the pipe,
   2. Make a hole the size of the diameter of the pipe at the bottom of the plastic bottle,
   3. Install the pipe + rope assembly in the bottom of the plastic bottle,
   4. Use glue to assemble the pipe + rope assembly with the plastic bottle,
   5. Wait for the glue to dry;

Make sure that the knot is bigger than the diameter of the pipe. If not, make more knots.

Make sure that both knots are tight against the ends of the pipe. The objective is to use capillarity to irrigate the tree over a long period of time. If the knots are not tight against the ends of the pipe, the water might leak from the bottle. If the water leaks from the bottle, the bottle will lose water quicker and the tree will receive water for a shorter period. Capillarity is a physical phenomenon. As a result: if the moisture level in the soil is the same as in the bottle, water will not move from the bottle to the soil, irrigation will stop. If the moisture level in the bottle is lower than the moisture level in the bottle, water will move from the bottle to the soil, irrigation will flow.

Étape 7 - Fill the plastic bottle with water to make sure that there are no leaks

1. If the plastic bottle leaks, add glue,
2. If the pipe leaks, make a tight knot,
3. Else: good job, you will make your tree happy 😊
4. Tighten the cap to close the bottle;

Étape 8 - Assemble the bottle-irrigation system with the sapling

Make sure that the rope from the bottle-irrigation system goes around the root system of the tree.

Étape 9 - Apply the “plant a tree” procedure to install the sapling and the bottle-irrigation system in the tube in the mound

Étape 10 - Remove the tube

Étape 11 - Frequently examine the moisture level