We planted starter trees from an online nursery this year and I wanted to share our experience as to how to keep them watered well without irrigation. I planted trees as to nursery instructions but it said to keep them watered well through summer. This meant carrying five gallon buckets on our tailgate a few times a week as we have no irrigation.
I came up with a better and greener way. I went to the local scrapyard and asked them for some used tires, (they will give them to you as they have to pay to have them hauled off). I bought 5 bales of pine straw and saved my plastic soda bottles. I dug a small hole next to roots for the mouth of the bottle, put tire around tree, and inserted bottle full of water upside down in hole. Then I covered the remaining area inside tire with pinestraw. The trees are doing much better and I managed to keep 15 tires and 15 plastic bottles out of landfill.
Oh, I also cut some boxes up and layed them under the pine straw to keep weeds down so I feel like I'm doing something for the earth and my back at the same time. Thanks for letting me share.
By Denise from McRae, GA
And they say necessity is the mother of invention! They should say Denise is the mother if invention!! Great idea!!
