Lloyd Charles wrote: I have a friend that made a good living contract planting for Vicroads and he says "If you cant water 'em dont plant 'em" - he budgeted on a 98% take and said he would loose money on a contract if that went under 90% - dont always need to water but always need to be able to do it.
Hi! Lloyd, We have developed a system of direct seeding native trees which we use in areas of twenty inch rainfall down to under five inch. We plant many species on each site, often a mixture of fifty to eighty types. Thus nearly always one will have a number of species that will suit the micro clime and the weather that year. Last year was just spectacular, with everything being just right and those trees are now thirteen months and as advanced as tube stock two to three years old. In the under five inch areas, we sheet mulch with leaf litter from local trees, after seeding. Then it does not matter if the rains do not come for years, they will still grow. Gil
