Tender loving care: Croydon Council wants residents to help out street trees during the heatwave
Croydon Council has issued an urgent appeal to residents, asking them to provide some “TLC” to their local greenery and get out and water roadside trees to help them through the heatwave.
The council claims to have planted “around 2,000 trees” in an unspecified period of “recent years”.
But in a press release issued last night, they say, “Newly-planted trees need to be watered regularly for their first three years to become established and thrive.”
The council reckons that a new tree requires “at least 50 litres of water per week in May, June, July and August”.
The council says, “During the hot months, the council is already stepping up watering around the borough but can always use a helping hand. The council is asking local residents who might have young trees outside their homes, on their street, or on their route to and from work, to help water these trees.
“Caring for young trees contributes more widely to a healthier and more vibrant borough, one which we can all be proud of.”
Residents can water the base of trees, or use the hole in the green bag surrounding the tree’s trunk, or black irrigation pipes. “Trees can be watered just like a household plant and residents are also reassured that it is hard to overwater during the heatwave,” the council said.
Jason Perry, the borough’s part-time Mayor, even took time out of his no-doubt busy schedule to add his voice to the council’s appeal. “Council teams are hard at work caring for our young saplings this summer, but we need your help to keep them watered and thriving,” Mayor Perry said.
“Taking even just a few minutes out of your daily routine to water a tree in your neighbourhood will make a huge difference in the current heat.”
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network- By having a comment section, we provide all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Details of how this works can be read by clicking here
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
- Inside Croydon: 3.3million page views in 2021. Seen by 1.6million unique visitors in that 12-month period
That’s great, but Thames Water are asking us not to water our gardens and with utility bills skyrocketing, how much will it cost to pour 50 litres of water on the tree outside my house?
My Council Tax bills don’t seem to have decreased since they stopped cutting the grass and maintaining local parks and trees, and after they closed the libraries for much of the week.
Hi Dave, the difference between our lawns and young street trees is that if our UK grass goes yellow, it has not really died , but has gone dormant. The root sytem has grown over years. It will perk up when rain falls. (assuming it does) The young tree sadly has a very small root system, which has not developed enough fine roots able to extract water from the dry soil.
Without enough water, the young tree might/ will die in the Summer of the first year after planting.
A good watering (2 or 3 buckets), not applied too fast as water runs off hard ground –it needs to sink in) ideally every week, but once every fortnight will be great) in the key summer months of June July and August will guarantee survival if the tree was a normal specimen at time of planting.
If there is a street tree near you a few buckets will not only save the the tree but let it grow well. Survive is good, thrive is even better. Next year, the tree watered in year one will need little watering.
One ironic tip……. trees planted in grass verges often die during dry summers, because the grass is taking all the water. The grass intercepts the water before it soaks down to the tree root zone. . Trees planted in a pit in paved or tarmac pavement often do better. Amazing, but often true !
If any Inside Croydon reader can help, every bucket of water will help save a tree!
At the risk of sounding rather sarcastic, could someone remind me why we are paying Council Tax when day by day this provides less and less in the way of services? Just asking, in case I’m missing something obvious here!