In April of this year we received a call regarding Madrone seedlings stored at WSU's Puyallup Research and Extension Center. These seedlings were left over from a research project and could be ours if we could use them. Don and I immediately jumped into our little red truck and off we went to salvage them.
A big section of Julia's Gulch is Madrone/Douglas Fir habitat and was being taken over with scotch broom. YES! we needed and wanted these seedlings. Most were 10 to 12 inches high, some were a bit sick looking. We sorted through and chose 350 of the healthiest.
At our April 2012 work party Friends of Julia's Gulch planted and flagged all 350. This was not a prime planting season but we needed to quickly get them in the somewhat damp soil so they could develop a root system before the summer drought. We put the last one to bed and left crossing our fingers that a few might survive. To our amazement we have a 40 to 50% survival rate!
No water (including a record 85 days of drought), no mulch, and yet new growth on about half of them! Thank you WSU.
When I get out there this coming Saturday I'll take some photos of the new growth on the ones that survived.
Heather
A big section of Julia's Gulch is Madrone/Douglas Fir habitat and was being taken over with scotch broom. YES! we needed and wanted these seedlings. Most were 10 to 12 inches high, some were a bit sick looking. We sorted through and chose 350 of the healthiest.
At our April 2012 work party Friends of Julia's Gulch planted and flagged all 350. This was not a prime planting season but we needed to quickly get them in the somewhat damp soil so they could develop a root system before the summer drought. We put the last one to bed and left crossing our fingers that a few might survive. To our amazement we have a 40 to 50% survival rate!
No water (including a record 85 days of drought), no mulch, and yet new growth on about half of them! Thank you WSU.
When I get out there this coming Saturday I'll take some photos of the new growth on the ones that survived.
Heather
Planting a madrone seedling
Madrone seedlings salvaged from WSU's Puyallup Research and Extension Center
