VOLUNTEER DAY • SEPT 19
Micro-forest Monitoring Workshop
We are starting the 2026/27 gardening year with a workshop. Katherine Pakradouni of Seed to Landscape will teach us to track our progress in the micro-forest using QR-coded tags and a plant monitoring smartphone app.
Katherine designed the micro-forest, holding a workshop last January and the installation in February.
Event Details:
- When: Saturday, September 19, 9:00 am – noon
- Where: South Pasadena Nature Park, 100 block of Pasadena Ave, east of York Blvd Bridge. Street parking is available on Pasadena Ave for the upper entrance, and in the parking lots near the golf course by the lower entrance. Meet in the park near the lower entrance, next to the recreational path.
– Apple Maps: Arroyo Woodland & Wildlife Nature Park
– Google Maps: South Pasadena Nature Park - What to expect: We will be placing QR-coded tags on the micro-forest plants and learning to take and upload data to a plant tracker app. Those who prefer to work in the park will be clearing vegetation from paths and shaping the rain garden.
New to gardening? No problem! We’ll have experienced volunteers on hand to guide you.
Come ready to work, connect with fellow nature lovers, and help our park grow.
Micro-Forest Report
We have had some heat! The weather for this coming week is predicted to be in the upper 90s. It doesn’t cool down at night with the elevated humidity, so we are feeling the heat!
The micro-forest, despite my worrying, is doing just fine. Here are the dates we planted and watered:
- Feb. 21: Plant and water thoroughly
- Apr. 8: Water
- Apr 12-13, 21, 25-26: Rain (1.6”)
- May 4: Water; Light rain early and mid May
- June 15: Water
- July 3: Water
- July 19: Water
- August 13: Water; Hot
I will continue to check the soil and the plants carefully to determine the next watering day. I expect that it will be this coming week, given the heatwave that we are experiencing. As you can tell, I am not watering on a schedule, but rather checking the plants and the soil.
Overall, the plants are doing great. The area looks a bit less green and dense. This is primarily due to the plant, hedge nettle (Stachys bullata). Hedge nettle, a typically hardy plant, goes dormant in the heat, dying back to the ground. I suspect that it will pop right back as soon as it cools down and we get some rain. We lost a few penstemons as well. Most other shrubs are doing well. Unfortunately, only one of the three oaks we planted is alive. The other two were damaged right after planting, probably by a critter. We will replant these again in the Fall.
Enjoy the monthly progress pictures. Please note, I have rearranged them so they go from most recent to earliest.
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