Lovely to join a volunteer team to water saplings in Ladywell Fields tonight, and I even got to wear my sailing boots to wade in the River Ravensbourne – the easiest way to fill our buckets! We gave a good dousing to all the Black Poplar trees under three years old as these are a water-loving species in need of care to ensure they grow strong, contributing to riverbank biodiversity and boosting carbon capture.

What nicer way could there be to cool off at the end of a scorching day than messing around on a shady riverbank filling buckets to water thirsty young saplings? Four GoodGymers joined volunteers from the Ladywell Fields User Group (LFUG) for a fun session tackling this important environmental task, at the same time soaking up a few educational facts about native tree species, thanks to the expertise of LFUG leader Caroline.

Julian aced at creating ways to chain-gang buckets from varied spots along the shores of the River Ravensbourne, Linda happily got wet feet wading to find the best pools for speedy filling, Khai demonstrated expertise in bank scrambling and water slinging, and Marta impressed everyone by having enough energy to help carry heavy loads after her 13.5 km training run! A total of 17 saplings under three years old had adequate dousings to ensure they can continue thriving during the current dry spell… we learned that apple trees prefer lighter watering as their roots suffer if waterlogged whereas black poplars enjoy any amount of soaking, being a species suited to riverside wetness.

And… whenever you’re watering… best to tip the water in a doughnut shaped ring around the tree, rather than at the base of its trunk. This is because the roots that promote strong growth are the ones spreading outwards, typically over a diameter up to one-and-a-half times the size of the tree’s leafy canopy (which will vary with species and age).

This was a first ever task for GoodGym joining the watering team in Ladywell Fields and we will be back – probably next month – to continue tending the trees, contributing to carbon capture and biodiversity restoration.