Worcestershire tree nursery uses 30% less water for container trees in drought response
Frank P Matthews in Tenbury Wells is using rainwater lagoons and a compost additive to cut water use for container trees by 30% as it adapts to drought.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Staff at a tree nursery in Worcestershire have explained how they are trying to drought-proof their operation after a very dry year. Frank P Matthews in Tenbury Wells grows more than a million trees every year, and keeping them healthy through a long drought is difficult. One worker said the dry year had been brutal and that everyone had to adapt to the way the weather is changing.
The nursery uses several water-saving measures:
- Rainwater lagoons: These capture rainwater and are one way the nursery keeps container trees hydrated during dry spells.
- Compost additive: The nursery recently added a product to its compost. It says this stops water running straight through pots, so water spreads horizontally and takes longer to drain.
- Lower water use: The nursery says it is using 30% less water than it ever has done for watering container trees.
The nursery grows 2,000 species and argues that variety is key to future planting. It says ash trees are dying around the country, so new and diverse species need to be replanted. From a tree point of view, the key to mitigating climate change is a wide range of resilient varieties.
Trees are also described as vital in the fight against climate change because they clean air, support wildlife and provide shade. Autumn is the best time of year to plant a tree, the nursery says, and it argues there has never been a better time to create more shade in a garden and help the planet.
There has been some rain recently, but it will take a long time for water levels to recover from the dry summer. Plant growers are still looking for ways to adapt to future droughts, and more rain was forecast in the following days.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Frank P Matthews nursery in Tenbury Wells grows more than a million trees a year. | |
| The nursery grows 2,000 species and says variety is key to future planting. | |
| The nursery says it uses 30% less water than before for watering container trees. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West treated the story as a local, solutions-led feature. It focused on how Frank P Matthews is adapting to drought with rainwater capture, a compost additive and lower water use, then widened out to tree diversity and climate resilience. The tone was practical and calm rather than alarming.
- “It's been such a dry year I mean I think I heard someone refer to it recently as brutal I would totally agree with that.”
- “We're actually using 30% less water than we ever have done for watering the container trees.”
- “We all have to adapt to the new way that the weather's going to treat us.”
Broadcast Timeline
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