Saturday, March 30, 2013

Why Care for Our Trees

There has been a recent drive from the Forest of Peace Foundation with regards to Teak trees in an effort to make our planet greener. We all know about the effects that excessive carbon dioxide can have on mother earth. The question facing everyone right now is what are we planning to do about it?

One of the ways we could assist is to support organizations like the Forest of Peace who are doing what it takes to help humans live in harmony with nature. This is probably why they are gearing towards planting as many teak trees as possible with funds they collect from the man in the street and huge corporations. You may want to learn a bit more about how we can care for our trees, and find out more about teak trees in the process. 


 Taking Care of Teak Trees in Favor of the Environment

Teak trees serve a twofold purpose; One, it cares for the environment by releasing much needed oxygen into the atmosphere, Two, Do it Yours elvers find it to be the most naturally weather resistant wood in the world right now. Due to its natural hardy texture, teak is extremely suitable and very usable as outdoor decks and patios. 

Did you know that it can take anywhere between 10 to 15 years for a teak tree to grow to maturity? Amazing isn't it?

 
If your property is big enough, you could even grow your own. How would you accomplish this though? Well, it is not as hard as you think. Just follow the easy steps set out below and you could have your very own homegrown teak tree in years to come:


  • Soak the seeds in fairly warm water for at least 12 hours. Then remove it from the water and lay it on a flat surface, ensuring it is in direct sunlight. Leave it in the sun for 12 hours, then repeat the soaking and drying process for a period of 10 days. This needs to be done to hasten seed germination.
  • Your next step, would be fill a 4 to 6 inch planting pot with one inch of gravel and 6 inches of sand, then finally one inch of equal parts moss and sand. Now you simply press the teak seeds into the top layer soil ensuring that it is barely covered. You could place 2 to 3 seed per planting pot
  • Now you would go on to ensure the seed is being placed in direct sunlight at temperatures  that are just above 65 degrees Fahrenheit to get it to germinate properly. Make sure you water the seed at least twice a day. You need to do this for about 15 days before it would germinate. Then allow it to the young teak trees to grow in the pot until they reach a height of about 1 foot
  • Prepare your soil with sufficient amounts of compost and ensure sufficient amounts of nutrients are added. You could consult your local nursery for the best compost mix that you can use for this purpose.
  • Ensure that you only transplant your young teak trees after the the final frost. You should dig a hole that is twice the size of the roots of the young teak trees. Gently place the trees in the hole you dig, ensuring that you spread out its roots. Fill the hole and tamp the soil to ensure there is not a chance of air pockets. Space the trees about 7 feet apart from each other.
  • From hereon, you should water it when the top 1 to 1 1 2 inches of soil is dried out, and fertilize the soil where needed. It is generally a good idea to spread a layer of about 2 to 3 inches of mulch around each tree as it will prevent weeds while retaining moisture. As long as you ensure the mulch is at least 6 inches away from the base of the teak tree to prevent it from burning. During the growing season, you could fertilize the tree at least once a month.

There you have it. Now you have your very own teak tree to take care of which will also give you new appreciation for what companies like Forest of Peace are trying to accomplish for the benefit of our future generations in planting these beautiful teak trees.