Youth Service Day 4/25

Saturday’s work party marked the annual Global Youth Service Day, and we celebrated with another great weekend of work. The day was spent at the 14th & Holly site with the University Child Development School (UCDS) and other community members. The Mark Smason Band entertained us while we worked on site maintenance, mulch rings, and transporting our reserve of plants to the nursery area where they will stay until the next planting season.

Site maintenance involves removing new weeds that may have sprung up in the time since the initial removal. This is necessary when working in an area formerly overgrown with Himalayan blackberry, for example. The roots may extend horizontally in the ground for several feet in any direction, making it difficult to dig out completely without greatly disturbing the soil. If any portion of the root is left in the ground after the initial removal, the plant may be able to sprout back up again. This is because Himalayan blackberry is capable of producing adventitious buds which can be found on both the roots and stems of the plant. If a root or stem of the plant is left in or on the ground, the adventitious buds can sprout into a new plant – even if it’s not connected to the root ball. This makes our battle with Himalayan blackberry a constant struggle. We performed this maintenance on 7,680 sq. ft. of of land, and concluded the day by spreading mulch rings.