The hot, dry summer has the neighborhood’s street trees panting for water. So the Parks Department is hoping residents will pitch in to help keep the trees healthy.
Watering guidelines
The Parks Department suggests the following basic guidelines when watering street trees:
• Water each young tree 15-20 gallons once a week between May and October (that’s 3-4 large buckets).
• Using a hand cultivator, carefully loosen the top 2-3 inches of soil to alleviate compaction and help water and air reach the roots.
• Do not dig any deeper or use large tools. These will damage the tree roots.
• Water slowly so the water penetrates the soil and does not run off of the surface.
• Water at the soil level, not through the leaves of shrubs and groundcovers.
• If it rains one inch or more in a week’s time period, you do not need to water.
“We encourage all New Yorkers – from local business owners to building supers to homeowners to neighborhood residents – to join the bucket brigade, said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “New Yorkers can use a bucket, watering can, hose or leftover water from their coolers to water the street trees in front of their homes or storefronts on their blocks,” he said.
To raise awareness for Hunts Point residents, Bronx Borough Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte and Kellie Terry-Sepulveda, executive managing director of The Point Community Development Corporation, joined local volunteers on Aug. 19 to demonstrate street tree watering techniques.
Street trees need 15 to 20 gallons of water a week, particularly when it’s hot.
New Yorkers who would like to learn more about how to water and care for their local street trees can join the MillionTreesNYC Stewardship Corps, launched in May 2009 to build a community-based network of tree stewards across the city’s five boroughs.
For more information about New York City’s expanding urban forest and how to get involved, visit www.milliontreesnyc.org or call 311.