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| Messenger photo by Rick Palsgrove |
| One of the tree bags that are helping young trees in Groveport ward off thirst. |
So what’s up with those green bags wrapped around the base of some trees in Groveport?
"Those are ‘Gator Bags,’" said Groveport Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Lund. "They’re bags filled with water that help new or struggling trees."
Lund said, instead of inundating the trees with one big watering, the bags allow for a slow release of water that soaks the ground around the tree. The process allows for the saturation of the ground while not producing any run off. Using the bags helps a young tree deal with the shock of being planted as well as fending off dry conditions.
The green bags hold around 20 gallons of water and take anywhere from five to nine hours to drain into the ground.
Lund said the bags are left in place as needed and removed by autumn. However, trees that are part of the fall planting schedule could use the bags if they need a slow, steady drink of water.
Groveport interim Village Administrator Ken Salak said the village has planted around 75 trees so far this year at a cost of $15,075, with another planting planned for this fall. He said the village routinely plants between 100 to 200 trees a year, mostly in new subdivisions.
This year Groveport was named a "Tree City USA" for the 15th straight year by the Arbor Day Foundation.
The village has further embraced a "green" philosophy by growing its own flowers in its new $4,557, 18 by 36 foot greenhouse located near the public works department building by Groveport Park. The greenhouse has the capacity to grow 9,000 plants.
The plants and flowers are used for landscaping in the village.
Previously Groveport contracted out for landscape flowers and for the care and watering of the plants, but now village workers can do the work themselves.
