🌿 Stewardship Notes 🌿 Welcome to a new series highlighting types of Stewardship work at the Eno River Association!

These will introduce “At Home Stewardship” and “What to Expect at Workdays” with the ERA! What to expect at planting workdays with the ERA! 🌱🌾 We often plant trees for reforestation, but we also plant grasses or flowering plants to increase biodiversity, support native wildlife, or stabilize soil. The first step is figuring out where to plant. If planting locations were not marked in advance, you may be given instructions on how to pick locations yourself, usually based on plant spacing or defined rows. The planting location is marked with a wooden stake or a pin flag, and the plant should be placed as close as possible to the marker. Depending on the plant's size, you may need to dig a hole using a shovel, or you may be able to create an opening in the soil with a dibble bar. If you use a dibble bar, you'll step on the crossbar to drive it into the ground, then wiggle it back and forth to create an opening. The opening should be deep enough for the roots to fit completely while still touching the soil on the bottom. Place the plant in the opening so that the top-most roots are just below ground level. For dibble bar plantings, you can simply step down on the soil to either side of the planting, pushing it back together to surround the roots of the plant and remove air pockets. Next, water around the base of the plant. This helps the soil settle into place around the roots and helps the plant adjust to its new home. Once the plant is watered in, step on the soil around the base again to push out any remaining air pockets. Finally, remember to wish your planting good luck before you move on to the next one! 🍀🤞 📸 Indigo Roper-Edwards [Image Description: Two volunteers at a planting Stewardship workday at the Eno River] #fieldwork #landstewardship #protectwhatmatters #naturelovers #volunteerwithus #enoriver