SOSSI and Tuesday volunteers have completed a major upgrade of the Sossi nursery, with financial support from Auckland Council and Pub Charity.
New hopperThis has created a more efficient production unit for pricking out and bagging on new young seedlings as they arrive from the Botanic Gardens who are doing the seed propagation work for us. A new hopper has been constructed to feed potting mix directly onto the work table, saving time and reducing the back stress on volunteers. This work area is also now covered by a retractable canopy to protect from rain and sun. Nursery shadehouse A shade cloth covering for the “old nursery” area has also been built. This will give the newly bagged seedlings an initial good growing environment to settle down prior to being moved to the new standing out area where they will grow on until planting days next autumn.
We have committed to producing around 10,000 plants every year for re-vegetation planting so there is lots of work to be done, and new volunteers would be most welcome to help.
Another 20 robins have now arrived at Shakespear, this time from nearby Tiritiri Matangi. This brings the total to 40, which should be enough to establish a permanent population. Update Aug 2016: Here is a new iseevideo documentary about translocation. It is 15 minutes long and very informative. The earlier and shorter version is below.
STOP PRESS: one more day to go, 17th August Thanks to the hard work of the teams at the SOSSI nursery and Botanic Gardens, we have about 19,000 plants to go in this year. This is about twice as many as last year so we need lots more volunteers to help to plant them….
While helping to plant trees at the planting day yesterday, Lucy Nie and and her friends from Kristen School also planted some ‘money trees’. They dramatised their day’s work and Lucy has made it into this very appealing video. Make sure you watch to the end.
So far we’ve done well at keeping pest animals out of the sanctuary, but unfortunately the pest weeds are not so easily deterred. So this year we’re asking you to help manage the most invasive weeds along the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. With the assistance of Hibiscus Matters and Auckland Council Biosecurity we’ll be highlighting a different…
Pampas grass is our featured pest plant this month, because right now its seed heads are evident everywhere in our district. The plants form large grassy clumps with a dead leaf base. Its erect and bushy flower heads are quite attractive and easily recognised, emerging January to March, but unfortunately they are prolific producers of seeds which then blow…