This article is about successful tree plantation – so reading it will tell you why most tree plantation drives fail. Tree plantation requires care in making pits, choice of species, care in plantation itself and most importantly, post-plantation care for two years if possible. The names of tree species are specific to the Indian context, but the principles could be universally applied.

We will break up the activities described above as follows:

(a) Where to plant?
(b) What to plant?
(c) When to plant?
(d) How to plant?
(e) What next?

Where to plant…

Before one sets out planting a tree, it is important to have some idea about the climate and soil conditions, so that the species chosen will survive and thrive under these conditions. Therefore, data related to climatic conditions like extent of rainfall and maximum and minimum temperatures of the place and soil and topography conditions like depth of soil, excessive presence of rocks, nutrient condition of the soil, vulnerability to water-logging, etc must be known. This will decide which tree species will survive and which will not.

What to plant…

There are other criteria to be considered… for example, one may want an avenue plantation. Here one can choose to identify tress that look elegant, or produce colourful or fragrant flowers. In case the area is prone to grazing of cattle, then it may be wise to choose species that are unpalatable to cattle, otherwise, definitely every sapling must be provided with cattle-guards, or the plantation exercise is doomed. Sometimes, there may be some overhead cables running, in which case one could choose species that are not very tall, to avoid the bother of having to keep trimming them in future.

There are many more criteria which can and need to be looked into when we go in for plantation. They include the following (which is by no means exhaustive):

(a) Is the species indigenous (i.e belonging to the area – or at least to India)? Some trees popular in tree plantation drives like Gulmohur, Rain tree, Mast tree (or false Ashoka) are NOT indigenous to India. As it is there is serious threat to loss of biodiversity because of loss of indigenous species due to deforestation and monoculture plantations. This can partially be stemmed by choice of local species over aliens. Besides local species are likely to survive better in the climate. Alien species that are successful can become threats by preventing local ones to survive. Examples of alien plants that have become invasive include water hyacinth, lantana, congress grass (parthenium – came with wheat received as Aid from US in 60s), trees like su-babul and Prosopis juliflora, called “bawla” (mad), which is spreading across dry areas of the state of Gujrat.
(b) Besides, indigenous species also provide home and food to local animals and birds, and they have built in mechanism for dispersing the seeds also. Alien species like eucalyptus and Australian acacia (Acacia auriculiformis) are not chosen by birds to nest and do not allow any plants to grow where their leaves fall.
(c) How sensitive is the species to soil conditions? Many species get stunted if the roots hit rock below. So, knowledge of soil conditions in plantation area is important before choice of what to plant.
(d) Species like ficus (banyan, peepul, figs, etc) are called “keystone species” – i.e their presence provides food and home to a very wide range of animals, birds, insects, reptiles, etc. So, when they disappear, many more creatures also disappear. Conversely, when they are planted, u are also ensuring the return of wildlife.
(e) Some species can be specifically chosen for aesthetics – like colourful or fragrant flowers, or just the beautiful form of the tree, etc.
(f) Species can be chosen from the types of use it an be put into – like source of food, or fuel, or leaves for green manure (pongam or karanj), seeds for extraction of oil for edible or non-edible use (neem, pongam), conditioning or improvement of soil (bamboo, pongam), other commercially viable use (hirda), etc. The examples are merely indicative; the list is very large.

When to plant…

Tree plantation activities are usually planned just after the onset of monsoon. For most part of India, we have only one major monsoon season, the South-west monsoons from June to August. So tree plantations should preferably be conducted around end June / early July. Monsoons are extremely conducive for fresh growth (like fresh root formation, for example). Anyone who has forst hand experience with gardening will know that saplings and seeds germinate and grow so easily during monsoon that no amount of watering can achieve in the rest of the year. Perhaps October to December is suitable for certain states like Tamilnadu because for most part there, the main monsoon is the North-easterly rains in Nov.

For any sapling or plant, transplantation is very stressful… suddenly there is change of soil, water availability pattern changes, its exposed to the elements all by itself, etc. Success of survival will depend on how the sapling copes with the stress. Monsoon is a time when rest of nature is supporting fresh growth and regeneration, so conditions are very conducive. Besides, the sapling has a few months to adjust to the new conditions before limitations of water shortage sets in. Also, the sun is not at its peak. The time we have chosen is when the soil has begun drying up and the October heat (where temperature soars after monsoon and before winter) is on. I seriously doubt how many saplings will be able to survive – even assuming that watering is done consistently.

How to plant…

One of the things that can boost or bust a growing sapling is the soil condition around it. This can be significantly influenced if appropriate attention is paid to the preparation of the pit before plantation. The size and preparation of the pit will decide the ease with which the sapling will stabilise after transplantation and the speed at which it will grow. If possible the pit must be 1m * 1m * 1m. By contrast, most tree plantation drives contend themselves with pits barely a foot square and a foot deep. This is not the way to give a good start to a tree’s life.
Part of the soil excavated must be mixed with a liberal dose of organic manure (like cow dung compost or vermi-compost) and filled up in the lower part of the pit. Even organic matter like weeds or leaves that may be removed from elsewhere and is otherwise thrown away can be used to bury at the bottom – it will get converted to manure in due course.
Spacing between saplings must be AT LEAST 10 to 15 ft. Initially it seems large, but if u take into account the trees size and its canopy, anything less will result in one growing on the other’s shadow. So, the dominant one (one that manages to grow faster or send roots deeper for water, etc will outgrow and dwarf others. Or all of them will end up dwarfed.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to remember that transplantation is stressful for the plant. When planting, Care must be exercised when removing the plastic cover to prevent root damage. The most sensitive and key part that grows is the tip of the roots, which is also the most vulnerable and likely to be exposed and damaged in handling. In case of tap roots (like mango), if the main root gets damaged, the tree may not grow healthily at all, though it may survive. So it is important to see that the soil around the root does not fall apart and the sapling’s roots are delicately handled.

There are other techniques for plantation where you initially plant fast growing species, which will quickly cover the open spaces, and intersperse them with slow growing (but long living) varieties – or other useful species. Progressively, the space around the slow growing ones is cleared by selectively removing the fast growing varieties over a period of years until the desired slow growing species fully establish and take over.

Immediately after plantation, usually one profuse round of watering is done – particularly when there is no rain. We just planted and left. I wonder when the stressed young saplings will get their first dose of water. If delayed by even a few days they may not survive.

Now, what next…

Merely planting a sapling and leaving it may or may not guarantee its survival because the plant is so small and vulnerable… anything, from cattle and goats to disease to harsh or extreme weather can be a threat. However, if the sapling is cared for and protected at least till the next monsoon, the chances are that it can survive thereafter. It protection and care can be provided for one more year, it’s a bonus but definitely significant.

One level of care is to provide some basic protection from cattle and goats, by use of a tree guard. A tree guard need not be an elaborate one made of metal… just sticking in some thorny branches some distance away around the sapling can do. Tree guards can be made of low cost materials like bamboo or woven bamboo mat. Even empty metallic oil drums (200 lt capacity) with some holes cut on the sides have been effectively used. Once the sapling survives for two years and grows out of reach of cattle, the same tree guards can be removed and reused elsewhere. In case finances allow, large chunks of land could be fenced and plantation undertaken within.

Ensuring availability of adequate moisture in the right dose is also crucial to the sapling’s survival until its first monsoon. Rather than watering in small doses frequently, the watering should be in large doses at spaced out intervals. Initially the gap may be in days, which can increase to a week and then perhaps a fortnight. Also, the distance of watering must be progressively further away from the plant. The advantage is that after the sapling is established, the scarcity of water will encourage the plant to send its roots deeper and wider. Conversely, if watering is frequent and close to the trunk, the roots will tend to be shallow and not spread out, resulting in a tree with poor foundation.
Once the first monsoon is past, watering may not be required. The tree is on its way to its independence existence.