Every Earth Day doesn’t necessarily mean you need to plant a tree. It means look at the world around you and see where you can make a difference in nature. And make sure to nurture and take care of the tree you planted last year. Well I am a day late in posting for Earth Day. How did you spend your day? Did you do something special this year, even with Covid still around?
This is the starter eucalyptus tree 
This is a mature eucalyptus on our compound
At our place, instead of planting a tree, I took care of the garden. I spent time, before the sun rounded our corner, to trim some branches off the tree I did plant last year. I can’t believe one of the branches actually looked just like the tree did when I planted it. Really the slim twig with leaves, used to be the tree, which is now about 10 feet high. I had planted a eucalyptus tree next to a dying Royal poinciana, (which is native to Madagascar), taking advantage of the release of the dying tree’s nutrients in the soil. Boy did the eucalyptus take off and it has grown tall in a short time! Taking time to examine your yard and plant trees, while others are on the decline, will give your new tree a boost. It is good practice to let the new tree recycle the nutrients that the old tree is releasing into the surrounding soil while it is dying. When it is time to cut down the old tree, you will already have a young tree well established. This saves time in growing another tree, once you are missing your old tree. Happy Earth Day everyone!!
Here in Saudi they are planting trees to create “green areas”. It’s a great initiative that is country wide. Below is the article published today about Saudi’s efforts. Here is an excerpt that is music to a native plant group member’s ears. Using native and endangered tree species.
“The CEO of the center, Dr. Khaled Al-Abd Al-Qader, said that the campaign planted endangered trees and shrubs in areas that were environmentally degraded due to overgrazing, logging, uprooting, and urban sprawl.
“The campaign focused on planting native tree species which have adapted to Saudi Arabia’s environment and require limited irrigation,” he added.
The ministry ensured that the campaign was aligned with sustainability and water conservation requirements and by using treated wastewater or seawater for irrigation, in line with the best international practices.”
Date Palms & Camels 