Time to get your watering cans ready

With the bank holiday weekend fast approaching, now is a good time to get into the habit of watering your new tree!

As your tree's buds and leaves start to appear they will need regular watering.

Initially your new tree will need 30 litres once a week, but this will need to increase as the weather gets hotter and drier.

30 litres can be measured as either 3 x large watering cans or by filling the gator bag - the green bag that has been placed around the base of your tree - halfway.

The gator bag can be a bit tricky to figure out at first, you need to put the water in a slot that has been cut into the side of the bag at the top. Feel around the top of the bag until this slot is located, and put all of the water into the bag this way, you will then start to see the bag filling up from the bottom. Hopefully this photo will help to clarify this:

Don't pour the water straight into the large opening at the top of the bag, as if you do this the water won't actually enter the bag, and will instead pour straight into the pit and then probably all over the pavement!

A few other helpful tips:

• Rainfall alone isn't enough to satisfy newly planted trees, but too much water can be as bad as not enough, so avoid watering if the ground is very wet and soggy

• Tap water, rain water or even dishwater is fine. But please make sure no chemicals stronger than washing-up liquid are in the water

When to water:

• Early morning or evening are the best times to water, but if those aren’t convenient any water is better than none

Other mentions:

• Ask your neighbours to help out too, especially if you’re planning on going on holiday over the summer

• If you use a hosepipe, do so safely – don't leave it unattended or trail it across the road

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns, or even positive feedback, we would love to hear from you at hello@growbacktogether.org