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If you need to know what to do to nurture a tree from seed to sapling, you’d do well to talk to 12-year-old Frederick Joseph on the subject. He’ll tell you what you need to know.
Frederick is a student at Jitegemee Primary School in Igunga, Tanzania, a town plagued by drought and vulnerable to climate change. Thanks to his school’s partnership with Heifer, he and his fellow students are learning something new: how to care for the environment. Thanks to these new classes, Frederick has become an expert in planting and nurturing trees in Igunga’s parched soil. I sat down with him for a tutoring session to learn his secrets and, with his permission, will now pass them on to you.
Here's what you'll need:
Germination, the process where the seeds sprout and begin to grow, It's the first step in your trees' journey to adulthood.
While you wait for the seeds to sprout, prepare the containers and potting soil that you'll use to cultivate your individual seedlings (this is where your plastic bottles will come in handy).
Now, it's time to "re-pot" your germinating seeds into your prepared containers.
Note: Your seeds should be visibly sprouting before you plant them. If they're not sprouting, they haven't germinated long enough.
At Jitegemee Primary School, seedlings are grown in a special nursery that Frederick and the other students call the "baby tree incubator." It is an open-roofed stone shed that provides seedlings with unlimited sunlight, shelter from winds, and the benefits of Igunga's year-round warm climate.
If you live in colder areas or are cultivating your seeds in winter, consider making your baby tree incubator a room in your house that is consistently warm and gets lots of natural light.
Once your seedlings have reached a height of 3-4 inches (and your weather is nice and warm), it's time to take them outside to meet the world!
Note: It's important that the hole isn't too deep or too shallow - the uppermost roots of your sapling should be at the surface so that they are just covered with dirt.
The last step? Water your plant every day as it grows and, soon, you'll be sitting under the shade of your very own tree!
If it rains, of course, your tree doesn't need you to hydrate it. But, if you live in a dry climate like Igunga daily watering is essential. Don't be daunted by the thought of unwinding your garden hose in the heat of summer.
Jitegemee Primary has no running water so, to keep the campus trees alive and thriving, each student carries brings a 5-L jug of water from home. Every day.
When I asked Frederick why he worked so hard to cultivate trees in Igunga's arid landscape he replied, "I’m happy knowing the trees that are planted bring us fresh air and that is Oxygen."
