Questions Answered!
What Are Those Green Bags on the Base of Trees Throughout Our City & Park Systems?
The green bags you see are water retainers for young, newly planted trees that help them stay hydrated during their early years. Our park staff uses a three-year care program for all tree plantings.
These bags are an advantage as they slowly distribute water to the root system, making sure heat-sensitive plantings remain hydrated while acclimating to their new homes. Each bag holds 15 gallons of water that slowly drips over time to make sure the tree gets the water it needs without overwatering. Having a cold bag of water on the base of the tree also has a cooling effect on the root system.
Being marked with a green bag also helps our staff easily identify which trees are on the watering route. During the hot, dry months of summer, our staff waters each tree every 1-2 weeks. There are approximately 250 trees on our three-year care program at a time. Some trees fall off the route each year as they reach the end of their initial care period while new plantings are added.
The Forestry staff runs two trucks carrying 350-400 gallons at a time to each grouping of trees in the park system. Later this fall, an improvement project will be adding 100 new trees to Rendezvous Park. These trees will be installed by a contractor.
Contractor-planted projects usually come with a one-year warranty but our staff is still inspecting all bags and trees to make sure they are adequately watered throughout the growing season. Water bags usually last up to about 3 seasons as they can become sun-checked and brittle but we have found that the cost of the bags vs. the benefit is well worth it.
