Spreading the love for growing natives – The BAR group December pricking out event
The Biodiversity and Restoration Group held a potting up/pricking out event at the Department of Conservation nursery in Motueka on Saturday 7th December last year. This was a chance for residents in the Motueka catchment to come and prick out little seedlings into root trainers to take away and grow on for their own planting and restoration projects.
Kate Radloff, chair of the BAR group, and Annette Litherland, also from the BAR group were there to support and provide guidance on good technique for pricking out. As Kate says:
“A key goal for the BAR group is building the capacity for community members to learn the key steps in plant propagation. Pricking out into root trainers is one of these steps. Learning these steps has many benefits. Firstly, at a catchment scale it will generally mean more plants go in the ground in the catchment, improving biodiversity and protecting waterways. It also saves catchment residents money and makes otherwise unachievable projects possible.”
The Department of Conservation guidance suggests the following steps when pricking out seedlings:
- Thoroughly soak the seedlings.
- Carefully insert trowel and loosen a small area.
- Remove one seedling carefully without damaging the root hairs.
- Fill a tube (or root trainer) with potting mix (low fertility).
- Make a hole in the potting mix. A purpose made tool resembling a pencil (dibbler) can be useful for this.
- Place plant roots in hole and carefully cover.
- Water thoroughly to settle the mix around the roots.
- Place in cool, shady place for at least a week so plant can recover from transplant shock.
Seedlings at the pricking out event included – Carex secta, toe toe, tī kouka, karamū, ribbonwood. These have all been eco-sourced meaning they have been sourced locally and so are appropriate for growing in the catchment, they’re suited to the conditions, and they’re not going to become a weed species.
While there were reasonably small numbers, everyone who attended was happy to be taking some eco-sourced native seedlings home for Christmas, and enjoyed catching up with other like minded restoration enthusiasts and having a cup of tea and bikkies.
If you live in the Motueka catchment and might be interested in plant propagation or learning more about the Biodiversity and Restoration Group, contact Kate Radloff on biodiversity@motuekacatchment.org.nz