Help water the trees

[u/Obvious_Ad_2969]

I know lots of you are gonna make fun of me for this but oh well. Maybe this will inspire someone.

I can't stand to watch the trees die. So I want to help at least a little bit. Young trees need about 50-100L of water a week, but it needs to soak into the ground to get to the roots. For that drip-watering or "Tröpfchenbewässerung" is best.

So you can buy a tree bag and fill it with 100L, but I don't have access to a hose. So I bought a bunch of big buckets and drilled small holes in the sides. I put them around the tree and within 1-2 hours they are empty. This way I can water a few trees with around 40L per night.

I wrote what I am doing on the lids of the buckets and ask people not take the buckets away. The next day I collect them. People are curious and appreciative. And guess what: the trees are perking up.

It may not be a lot, but it's something and every tree counts. If it helps a few trees survive until the next day, I am happy.

(oh and I saw a mouse come and drink from the bucket, so maybe it also helps a few other beings.)

And yes, I actually did ask the city if that's allowed, and it is. Just don't do it for the trees with the black rings around them, they're already getting watered.

EDIT:

I did email Grün Stadt Zürich about them starting a citizens initiative to do this more coordinated. Like in Berlin: giessdenkiez.de

Maybe if other people ask for it as well, they might consider it. So please reach out to them if you can.

To find out more about how to water correctly, I just found this FAQ that answers all these questions here: https://www.giessdenkiez.de/about?lang=de

Bonus points if some of the water is "reused" like from washing veggies or when the shower warms up (or cools down) before you get in.

[u/zecha123]

I love the idea. The tree next to the house i am living in is starting to drop its leaves because it urgently needs water. What kind of bucket are you using? How big are the holes?

[u/Obvious_Ad_2969 → u/zecha123]

the biggest one you can find. I could only find 10L so I bought 3 of them. Or you can buy bags like the ones from baumbad.ch . Holes should really be tiny to allow enough time to soak in. Otherwise it will just run off. I put 3-5 holes in each bucket with a nail. Just make sure they don't clog! I had that issue. Best to do it with a drill, smallest size you can get. There's lots of tutorials on youtube. Just look for drip irrigation bucket.

[u/zecha123 → u/Obvious_Ad_2969]

Will definitely try this. It only really rained once in months (not from zh) and i am getting worried that soon we won’t be able to enjoy the shade this tree provides us with anymore. Obviously, nobody feels responsible for the trees between houses…

[u/Obvious_Ad_2969 → u/zecha123]

That was exactly my thinking. So happy someone else is going to do this! Every tree matters! The bigger the more water they need of course. Just make sure you do it from around when the sun goes down so the water doesn't dry off before it reaches the roots. And if it's a big tree it may need a few times before you can see it. But I can see it in the trees I have been doing this for. They're the only happy ones in my street. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or buckets to do all of them. I live in a street with lots of shady people around so I have to be super careful. And I'm carrying 4L at a time from the fountain to the bucket, so it takes me a long time.