Left: Anne on Kahikatea Island doing some clean up of pest plants like willow and thistle. While there she also planted some native grasses, bushes and trees. The floating tractor tyre inner tube raft is how we transport plants onto three islands in our ponds. We have to wade to get ourselves onto the islands. The green growth on the water is duck weed.
Below: Plantings are usually made (in Winter) from local native seedlings grown in our shade house in planting bags of potting mix. These are watered and transplanted to larger bags when necessary. When ready (2-3 years) for planting, the plants are placed in the ground and covered with moist newspaper and sawdust or straw. This prevents moisture loss and competitive grass growth near the plants. Sometimes a protective sleeve is placed around the plants to keep them safe from pests (e.g. rabbits, pukekos). Each plant is marked with a stake to make it easier to find and cared for when "weeds" (e.g. pasture grass) start to grow tall in the Spring and Summer months.
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