The Amarillo seeds have to be watered for seven consecutive days in order for them to sprout.

September 26, 2004  

This week we mainly stuck to the basics: watering, sowing seeds and maintenance.  Due to extenuating circumstances (expired visas needing renewal, illness, etc.), we were only two in the field for the majority of the week.  This lessened the opportunity for me to meet with folks regarding recruitment for the Bioregional Education Program. 

All the seedbeds at the greenhouse are sown.  We planted 120 Amarillo seeds and 100 Zapote de Perros this week.  These are both fabulous species that we have not grown in the past.  The Amarillo tree (Centrolobium parahense) thrives in well-drained soil and it is resistant to termites.  Zapote de Perro (Capparis scabrida) is a sunlight tolerant tree that does extremely well in droughts and protects the soil. 

The Amarillo seeds have to be watered for seven consecutive days in order for them to sprout.  I have volunteered to water them throughout the weekend.  To date none of the other seeds have sprouted yet.  We are all anxious to see green poking through the soil. Soon enough I hope.

I have some disappointing news.  A donkey managed to get into the upper site at the canal in Jorge Lomas.  Five plants were totally ripped out of the ground and others were nibbled.  The donkey was able to access the area because a section of the fence had collapsed.  It is unknown as to what caused the fence post to collapse in the first place. I doubt it was foul play and most likely just normal wear and tear; regardless we fixed the post temporarily.  Our priority for Monday is to fix it more permanently. 

Ryan’s delay was indeed unexpected and disappointing.  He has agreed to being volunteering at home in New York, mainly working to fill in the gaps of missing information on our Project Seed Bank spreadsheet. The reference book you sent him should come in handy for this activity. 

One last thing.  We would like to put together an online Photo Gallery for our projects.  We think this could be an invaluable asset for prospective volunteers and donors.  We would include photos of tree species, us working, us recreating and so on.  We figure it would only cost $30 a year to maintain the site and enough volunteers come through with digital cameras to keep it updated regularly.