Comedy?
This tree bag install seems ridiculous at first sight. Clearly, tree bags are placed on the trunk. People had a few laughs and then, they laughed even more when they discovered that all five newly planted pines were installed this way.
At first, I laughed along and then I beamed because I had a blog post idea ready. Incidentally, when I started blogging in 2016, I worried about running out of things to blog about. I need not have worried, there is so much to cover, from happenings in the field to book and tool reviews, to interesting water bag placement.
Stay calm!
It’s tempting to throw mud at the contractor and question the sanity and skill of his employees but my friend Derek is nice and calm; he set me straight. He told me he routinely installs water bags on trees after two seasons. Assuming that tree stakes are placed at drip line, leaving the bag there should still help. But I wonder how effective it is.
Obviously, to install the water bag on the pine pictured above, you would have to prune some of the lowest branches (some, you can’t lollipop a newly planted tree) and even then, zipping up the bag and filling it up with water would be awkward. Thus the placement on the stake. It’s easier and faster.
Still, I wonder how effective it is. I hope they’re also watering by slow-soaking the root balls. New trees require lots of water to establish and strata complexes are populated with busy people. Too busy to slow soak five new trees.
Watering
Given the changing climate, we have to watch our trees and help them out. Water bags are part of this process, as long as people refill them. I always recommend slow-soaking to my clients so the water can get down into the soil. Watering slowly helps.
It’s also important to check on the water bag occasionally. Sometimes the bark underneath gets moist and insects move in. Removing the bag temporarily can help. Definitely pack it away before winter hits.
