Remutaka Conservation Trust Catchpool Nursery
The Trust runs a small nursery down at the Catchpool Valley entrance. It is tucked in behind the DOC Field Depot just off the Coast Road and features several custom-built seedling benches, an automated overhead irrigation system and shade cloth for those plants needing less direct access to sunlight and plenty of space for holding & growing plants until they are ready to plant out. There's a large lockup container for tools, gardening equipment & supplies, plus some big bins for storing compost and potting mix, etc.
Nursery Working Bees
From time to time we run nursery working bees to maintain the nursery equipment, storage areas and carry out plant hygiene tasks, transplanting and weeding and maintenance.
Leading this activity in recent years, is Mike Rees, who sets the date and time (typically on a weekend) and rallies the troops to perform their green-thumbs magic on the day.
Mike Rees (thumbs up) and his team of nursery group volunteers on a working bee down at the Catchpool nursery in February 2020 before the Covid-19 lockdown began in March.
Nursery working bee volunteers caring for and attending to plants down at the Catchpool nursery. Typical tasks include a regular cycle of weeding, transplanting, pruning, watering, repotting seedlings and pricking out seed trays, etc. Includes the removal of any unhealthy plants and rotation of containers...
Volunteers tending to kanuka and manuka seedlings in the Catchpool nursery.
ANZ corporate volunteers did some repotting and weeding work as part of their Volunteer Day experience in February this year. Photo credit: PC.
