Reused Milk Jugs, Reclaimed Water and a Little Crab Apple Ttree

By Laura Dowd

In April I adopted a tree. It is a beautiful little crab apple tree, planted up near the train station in Roslindale Square. It’s in a surprisingly quiet corner, high up in an open green space, with a view that overlooks buildings in the Square and the bustle of people and traffic at different times of the day.

When I was asked about taking on this volunteer job, at a GreeningRozzie community meeting, I thought it sounded like a good thing to do. I knew that GR members had pursued grant funding for new trees for Roslindale, and then rolled up their sleeves to plant the new trees – so a lot of hard work had already been done. I knew the trees needed consistent watering during the first two years. After a winter with almost no snow, and a spring with relatively little rain and warm temperatures, it seemed that the small trees could be at risk. But I wondered if bringing water up to the tree would prove to be a hassle, making it hard to keep the commitment.

Luckily I figured out a system that’s made it easy for me to water the tree consistently. I started saving gallon sized plastic milk jugs. When all four of my daughters are home in the summer, we go through a lot of milk, and it was easy to build a collection. Then I started emptying the water collected in my basement dehumidifier in to the plastic jugs. All through the spring and summer months, the dehumidifier fills up in about 24 hours, and collects enough water to fill two jugs. So over the course of a week I can easily fill 10 or 12 jugs for watering the tree. I’ve found that saving the water this way also helps me remember to visit the tree consistently. It is easy to park close to the tree, and the jugs pour nicely into the gator at the base of the tree.

By now I have accumulated quite a collection of empty plastic one-gallon jugs. I’d be happy to donate jugs to anyone else who needs them for watering.

Visiting the crabapple tree has been a nice routine for me this summer. I’ve enjoyed watching the changes that have taken place in that small green corner during the spring and summer months. The sky over the train tracks has beautiful colors at different times of the day – early evening is especially nice. A few steps up the hill from the tree, I can look down on Alexander the Great Park; I’ve got new appreciation for the work done by Roslindale Green and Clean to keep the park looking great.

I’m interested to hear from other folks with comments, concerns, or observations about trees in Roslindale, and especially anyone who has experience with crab apple trees.