The Oyster Bay Reserve is involved with numerous outreaches aimed at educating and involving the public in appreciating and conserving our natural environment.
The Reserve manager, Aiden Beck, excelled at this objective when he visited the Curro Private School in Mossel Bay.
As far as the Curro learners are concerned, the whole month of September should be a celebration of trees.
The grade 1-3 learners all gathered for an informative session on why Arbor week is being celebrated, why trees should be planted and what purpose they serve.
The learners were also shown how to create their own bonsai, an activity they enjoyed with great enthusiasm.
Oyster Bay Reserve manager used a small fig tree as sample and involved the learners in the entire process of bonsai growing. Learners were shown how to prepare the pot with stones, sand and compost. Worm compost was used to enrich the soil, which was produced locally by the Red Wriggler Worm Farm at the Reserve. They enjoyed seeing the worms hard at work in the soil.
Thereafter, they were shown how to prune the small fig tree in the correct way.
The small tree was placed in the pot, after which the importance of regular watering and exposure to sunlight was explained. The process to train the tree into the desired shape followed.
The highlight of the day was to plant a Milkwood tree (indigenous to the Mossel Bay area).
"They were proud to make a difference and contributing to the celebrations of Arbor Week. More important was the impact that the outreach had on the learners, and we can only hope that next year Arbor Week will be remembered as a true celebration of trees," Aiden Beck told the Mossel Bay Advertiser.
Grade R Curro learners made sure the new Milkwood tree is firmly planted.
PHOTOS: MELISSA HILLS, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
