Meeting at the LSU/Hammond Ag Research Center

Dr. Burley and I met with Regina Bracy at the LSU Ag Research Center in Hammond on Thursday. Regina had a lot of great ideas for our project, including a way in which we could easily acquire additional funding. Here are a few of the things that came out of the meeting:

• Bracy's Nursery would likely donate 4-5 additional trees in 4 gallon buckets. These would be comparable to the trees we already attained at Lowe's
• Using the saplings we attained from LA Ag and Forestry, we could allow each student to plant their own tree. Doing this would give them pride of ownership and hopefully encourage them to devote time to ensuring their individual tree's survival. This would be a teaching experience and would encourage the development of an environmental identity.
• Regina suggested getting small, metal flags from Lowe's to place in the ground next to the young saplings. Students could put their names on the flags, revealing each tree's ownership. Doing this would add visibility to the presence of the young tree and hopefully keep it from being damaged by lawnmowers or by other students playing in the vicinity.
• Regina noted that we did not need to stake the young saplings that we attained from LA Ag and Forestry.
• Finally, Regina mentioned that she was in charge of allocating grant dollars for the Hammond Tree Foundation. She felt that our project was worthy of receiving some of the funds, and she asked that we submit a letter requesting the funds and detailing how we would spend them were they allocated to us. Upon doing so, she felt that she would be able to allocate at least $250.00 to our project. Jessica and I are going to put the letter together by early next week.

Planting a Bald Cypress

We will have two bald cypress trees to plant on Friday. The planting of each tree should be a relatively easy task, and the students should have no trouble taking the lead. Each seedling will be housed in a plastic pot/container. To begin to plant the seedlings, we will need to dig holes approximately the same size of the containers in which the seedlings are housed. After doing so, the seedlings can easily be placed into the ground by hand.

According to research, the cypress root collar should be right at or just below the root surface. The roots need to be able to spread out naturally, without twisting or bending. If the soil is wet, the seedling should be held at the root collar and pushed into the ground until the planter's hand reaches the soil. From what I read, containerized seedlings can be successfully planted at any time of year and under most conditions. Ideally, the seedlings should be planted when soil is moist or slightly flooded; they can be planted directly into water.

Finally, an article from the University of Florida mentioned some pitfalls to avoid when planting the seedlings. These included: planting the seedling in a non-vertical position, digging a hole too shallow for proper root placement, or leaving an air pocket near the roots after closing the hole.