Tree Planting (Intermediate)

Learning Goals

By the end of this process, students will develop a sense of care and responsibility towards trees, other plants, and the environment overall.

Success Criteria

• I can decide whether a specific tree species can support a local environment.
• I can perform investigations into whether a specific location is good for a tree’s growth.
• I can support the growth of tree from a seed in a pot to a sapling in the ground.
• I can observe and record data and display my findings in an appropriate way.
• I can identify problems with a tree’s growth and implement strategies to address those problems.

Materials Needed

• Seeds
• Medium sized pots with drainage holes and trays
• Potting soil
• Watering cans
• Measuring tapes (or rulers)
• Shovels
• Optional: journals, cameras, charts/graphs
• Optional: tools for testing the pH of soil (pH strips, soil sample, water, glass containers, coffee filters, etc.).
• Optional: thermometers for testing soil temperatures
• Optional: devices for student research/ activities

Minds On (Activating Prior Knowledge)

Before You Plant:

• Find a location where you could plant your tree. Check with your school’s principal, local conservation areas, etc. Get students to write letters, emails, or make phone calls to try to secure your location!
• Do your research. Have students ensure that the species of tree they want to grow will support the ecosystem they are planting in.
• Get students to test pH levels in soil, temperature, etc. to ensure the conditions are right for their tree to grow.
• Once your location is secure, bring students there to check it out. Have them pick the best location for their own seed to grow. Remind students: It is best to plant a tree where it has space to grow. Your tree should be at least 8 meters away from overhead power lines. Also consider other objects in the area that could interfere with the tree’s growth and with human daily life (other trees, play equipment, fences, etc.).
• Check with local authorities before you dig. Be sure you won’t hit any utility lines! Get students to do research or make phone calls to find out.
• If you are going to plant multiple trees, make sure your area has enough space for multiple trees to grow.

It would be a good idea to get students involved in these processes! Get students to brainstorm areas they could plant. For every place they suggest, ask:

• Will the trees have enough space to grow there?
• Will they be in anyone’s way there?
• What factors should you consider before you plant your tree in this spot?

For more information about planting, check out the Million Tree Project website.

Instruction

Germinating Seeds:

 Note: This is a general planting process. Before you germinate your seeds, do some research on your tree to see what will work best.

Gather your materials. You will need:

• Seeds you collected as a class
• Medium sized pots that have drainage holes in the bottom (one per seed you are planting). They should be big enough so the seed has a chance to grow, unless you plan on moving it to a larger pot as it grows. It is probably better to choose a plastic pot for the classroom.
• Trays to catch drained water
• Potting soil

Have students fill their pots almost to the top with potting soil. Use a finger to make a small indent in the middle of the pot, about 2cm deep. Plant the seed in this hole, making sure it is about 2cm deep and cover it with soil. If you plant the seed too deep, it may not grow. Water your seed thoroughly and place the pot(s) in a place in the classroom that gets plenty of sunlight (such as a windowsill).

Remind students that trees grow everyday without human assistance. Trees produce many seeds. This is because not all of them will turn into trees. Sometimes, when humans plant trees, the seed may not take, and other problems could arise. Get students to think about factors that could intervene with the growth of their tree. In the classroom, the tree might not get a lot of sunlight. Perhaps the seed was not effective for planting. Once they plant the tree outside, animals may eat it, or it may not rain enough to water it. These factors stunt tree growth every day in nature and students should be prepared if their tree doesn’t sprout!

Activity (Teacher or Volunteer Lead)

Track Your Seed’s Progress:

Have students check their seeds regularly (every 2-3 days) to make sure the soil isn’t dry. Add water at least once each week. Inform students that if they add too much water, they could displace their seeds. They should add enough water so that the soil is moist, but not wet.

Track the progress of the seed’s growth- weekly, monthly, or whatever works for your class. Here are some ways to track your tree’s growth:

• Take photos weekly. Display the growth on a class bulletin board, a google slide, on book creator, etc.
• Tie some math into it! Once your tree starts sprouting, get students to measure the height every week. They can record its growth monthly in a graph or chart.
• Keep a field journal and record observations of the seed’s growth weekly.
• Have students compare the growth of their trees to others. Do certain species grow quicker than others? Are some trees getting more sunlight/ water than others?

As your seed is growing:

See if other classes want to get involved in the Million Trees Project! Buddy your students up with students from a younger grade, perhaps in small groups. Your students can “teach” the younger students how to germinate a seed and plant their seeds into a pot! Have your students collect extra seeds for the other classes or get older students to show younger students the collecting process, too! Schedule weekly visits with the class so the students can help younger students track the growth of their tree.

While the tree is growing in the classroom, have students research potential threats that their tree could face in the environment once it’s planted. For instance, research invasive species or environmental factors.

Connection + Consolidation

Plant Your Trees in the Ground:

Different trees need different habitats… and sometimes, different planting procedures. In most cases, following the steps below will work just fine. If you’d like specific advice for your tree species, check online or with your local nursery.

1. Check the weather. You can transfer deciduous trees to the ground as soon as the frost leaves the soil in the spring. You can plant conifers until four weeks after deciduous trees leaf out.
2. Dig a hole that is 2-3 times wider than your root ball, and about the same depth. Roughen up the edges of the hole so it’s easier for tree roots to wiggle through. If your soil contains a lot of sand or clay, mix in a little compost. Get students involved in measuring the space to dig their holes!
3. Green side up! Point your sapling’s leaves straight towards the sky.
4. Fill the hole about 2/3 full of soil, and gently pack it down to remove air pockets.
5. Give your tree a drink! Fill the hole with water and wait for it to drain.
6. Top up the soil, forming a mound around the tree’s roots.
7. Planting more than one tree? Leave plenty of space between them to avoid crowding as they grow.
8. Continue tracking the growth of your trees.
9. Remember to register your planted trees with the Million Tree Project!

Assessment

Follow Up with your Trees:

Give students plenty of opportunities to check on their trees’ growth. If it is unseasonably dry, bring your students out to water their trees. Have students make observations in their journal about the growth of their trees each time they check.

Ensure students take note if the tree seems to be struggling, or if it looks healthy. Note if any bugs are eating at the tree, or if animals have gotten to it. If the plant is having a hard time, get students to research and implement methods to protect it!

Have students display what they learned from their planting process. Have students put together field notes, photos, or any data they collected over the course of the year. Allow students to display their information in a method of their choosing.

Have students create resources to encourage other classes to get involved in tree planting and the Million Trees Project! Create videos or posters or write letters to other teachers. Get them to include the reasons tree planting is important, what they learned from their experiences, etc.

Get students to write about their experiences in a report, a journal entry, a story, a poem, etc. Give students prompting questions to choose from. For example:

• What was the most challenging part of the tree planting experience for you?
• What has this process taught you about tree growth/ ecosystems/ biodiversity?