Written By: Sara Kong
AYLUS Dix Hills Branch works with Bethpage State Park to transplant overgrown plants. On this very warm Saturday in June, volunteers arrived at Bethpage State Park where they were educated about various plant species and their growing patterns. We used three bags of ~50 lbs bags of soil and transported approximately 80 containers of plant species.
The initiative was to transplant these plants into larger containers as the containers they were in at the time were too small, resulting in an overgrowth shown by their extensive roots at the bottom of the containers. This overgrowth is problematic as it can ultimately cause the plants to die from the lack of nutrients its roots are receiving. Since we were working with a diverse array of plants, they were categorized based on size, where some were transported into quart-sized containers and larger gallon sized containers. Some of these species** are as follows: The silence stellata which is notable for having a starry campion, the iris versicolor, known for its northern blue flag, and allium fermium, containing nodding onion.
Prior to staging the transplants, we had to make the soil. Initially, the soil was in blocked packages, which was not sufficient enough for the plants. To make the soil airy and usable, we had to first break the chunks in the soil using a shovel or hands. Later, we added water to retain moisture in the soil which would aid to maximize the healthy growth of these plants, making sure to fold the soil around to distribute the water evenly. After the soil was prepared, we put a small amount of soil into the quart and gallon containers, then took out the plants in the old ones, and finally transplanted them in the new containers while also covering the sides with soil. This action ensures that the roots of the plants are able to touch base with the new soil to ensure the plant has enough hydration. Prior to transplanting, we checked each plant to make sure there were no weeds there, and if so, we plucked them out as they can disturb the growth of the plants. When finished, we ultimately transferred all transported plants onto a cart, making sure to put them on from the back towards the front to avoid any plants falling over from a weight imbalance.
At the end of our volunteering, Bethpage Park decided to give a couple of native plants to showcase their things for our volunteering efforts as well as to spread native plants to the homes of community members. Volunteers at AYLUS Dix Hills were extremely delighted to be a part of this initiative, and hope to further contribute their time towards environmental efforts in the community.
**Additional species we transplanted: Eupatorium perfoliatum-common boneset, Solidago rigida-stiff goldenrod, Liatrisligulistylis- blazing star, Eringium yuccifolium-rattlesnake master, Symphyotrichum macrophylla-big leaf aster, Tradescantia virginiana -spiderwort, Silence Regia- royal catchfly
Volunteers: Sara Kong (2 hours), Ru Xue Jiang (1.5 hours), Jason Cheng (2 hours), and Kevin Lyu (2 hours)
