In April, Justin & I had the opportunity to visit Desert Garden Montessori School in Phoenix talk to their students about saguaros, wildfires in the Sonoran Desert, & to set up Saguaro Growing Kits for several of their classrooms. Thank you to everyone at AC Infinity for donating Humidity Dome, Germination Kits with LED Grow Light Bars to help us get this started!
Students took turns placing dirt in the AC Infinity grow trays, spreading saguaro seeds, lightly covering them with dirt, and gently misting them. Once the trays were seeded and misted, Justin set up the AC Infinity grow trays in classrooms that includes a lighting system on a timer. We also provided each classroom with a misting bottle and instruction sheet. We're happy to report they already have saguaros sprouting!
In 2020, the Bush Fire burned over 193,000 acres & over 80,000 saguaros burned in Arizona’s 5th largest wildfire. Most of the fire occurred in the Sonoran Desert, an ecosystem not evolved or adapted to wildfires. When we lose an adult saguaro, it’s not something that will be replaced in our lifetime.
By growing saguaros for the burn scar, students at Desert Garden Montessori School are helping us with the long-term restoration of this unique ecosystem. Our hope is to eventually bring students out to the burn scar to see where their saguaros will end up. Over the summer, families from Desert Garden Montessori School will adopt the saguaros babies to mist them throughout the summer and bring them back to the school in the fall.
We want to continue working with Desert Garden Montessori School growing saguaros for our replanting program for years to come. We loved their enthusiasm & excitement for saguaros & learning why it's important to preserve, restore, & protect our outdoor spaces. We LOVE the drawings & notes from students, they mean a lot to us!
Thanks you to everyone at Desert Garden Montessori School & AC Infinity for supporting our Saguaro Growing Program!
