HAVE YOU FALLEN FOR THE CRAFTY WACA/TORY RUSE?
Tory ruse to use Woodvale charity for political accolades goes sour yet AGAIN as bumbling WACA staff plant pretty flowers into harsh, toxic mulch
It was recently reported that the controversial Tory-orientated Woodvale WACA charity had been planting (10 April 2015) pansies, etc on Sandbrook Way. How lovely, thought some trusting readers – yet the underlying legitimacy of the situation was something else entirely. Let’s examine the facts, rather than drink in the drip-fed spin, a little closer.
This sudden WACA activity arrived after all calls for improvements by Libdem Cllr Haydn Preece and local residents were outrageously denied by Ainsdale’s Tory due, Cllr Ted Hartill and Terry Jones.
Their lame excuse was that it was a “waste of funding.” The real reasons for Tory improvement denials were because the suggestions were not their idea. Nevertheless, soon after the appalling denial WACA was running all over Sandbrook Way in a frantic effort to show everyone how hard they were working. The truth however was that the Tories were once again misusing this charity to make themselves look ‘good.’
Factions of the Southport press were quick to promote this transparent Tory spin as per usual. Residents had noticed that the council had spread coarse and strong-smelling wood bark mulch on the Sandbrook Way planting areas quite recently AND WELL BEFORE THE WACA PLANTING PLOY.
This was most likely a council exercise to keep the planters weed free and was effective. It was so effective in fact that even small sycamore saplings (which usually grown well everywhere) failed to thrive in the harsh, woodchip, mulch environment – due to its toxicity.
Clueless
WACA – no idea about what they are doing, as usual!
Sadly, WACA has got it wrong once again as pansies, etc that they planted into this unforgiving wood toxic bark mulch soon showed adverse signs and then died.
A LITTLE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING.
In their madcap rush to ‘limit damage’ to their Tory-orientated charity, WACA staff appeared to be blissfully unaware that some bark mulches may be highly toxic to tender young plants; particularly if the bark is fresh or if it has been inappropriately stockpiled.
Toxins can be leached from bark by heavy watering or evaporated by thorough aeration.
Local people have noticed this too. One elderly Sandbrook Way resident stated.
“First we knew last weekend was that this charity had lots of noisy kids riding all over the place, messing about on their bikes. Only a few adults seemed to be trying to do something. But most keen gardeners know that you should never plant fragile flowers into wood bark because it can drain the nutrients out of the soil. It stops water from reaching the roots I think and can kill the plants. This job was a waste of time and money and whoever did it obviously doesn’t know much about gardening.”
A small shrub foolishly planted into in the toxic mulch by WACA is also suffering and showing blackened leaves…
Nitrogen immobilization
A ‘Gardensalive’ expert had this to say….
“Wood mulches can also slow the growth of established plants—and yes, just plain starve new ones to death—by ‘tying up’ the available food in your soil, a process known as “Nitrogen immobilization”. Wood is carbon; carbon always looks for nitrogen to bond with so it can breakdown into new soil—that’s the principle behind composting. Wood mulches take that nitrogen right out of the soil, out-competing your nitrogen-needy plants. And dyed mulches are the absolute WORST offenders; the wood in these old pallets—chipped up and sprayed with dye—is the worst type for use around plants. Our favourite mulch expert, Ohio State Professor Emeritus Dr. Harry Hoitink, warns that dyed mulch is especially deadly when used around young plants or in brand new landscapes.”
http://www.gardensalive.com/product/is-your-mulch-magnificent-or-miserable/
Plants started to die soon after planting.
Effectively, WACA have condemned most of these plants (if not all) to death via placing them into such nitrogen – grabbing wood mulch. One can safely use wood mulches to keep weeds down in your garden paths yet that’s about it. Planting delicate plants into harsh wood bark is plainly stupid and amounts to a waste of effort and funds as it can kill them. Who actually funded this WACA farce on this area? Sefton Council appear to be happy to let this Tory-orientated charity do whatever they like on their own areas, without question. Is there some hidden arrangement here?
First WACA chumps destroy nesting habitat and now this
This latest WACA humiliation comes in the light of their recent eco-destruction (via misdirection of 52 well-meaning RAF volunteers) of vital bramble bird-nesting habitat on the edges of Woodvale woodlands.
http://woodvalewp.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/waca-misdirection-and-ignorance-now.html
Sadly WACA have yet again shown themselves up for the fools they clearly are. They seem to have little idea about what they are doing and are in effect doing more harm than good.
Did WACA have permission to work on the pedestrianised Sandbrook Way area?
Residents had asked the council the following question several times.
“What permission and insurance cover was at hand for the work undertaken by WACA on Sandbrook Way on 10th of this month?”
The council officer who was responding to this question would ‘not’ give a straight answer but merely stated.
“Regarding your comments about works undertaken on Sandbrook Way, your comments have been noted and we will continue to discuss the activities of WACA directly with them.”
So a straight ‘yes or no’ answer was apparently too hard to give! Why?
What exactly is this cock-eyed council playing at and why so much secrecy over the WACA situation once again?
This latest charity failure merely marks yet another ‘own goal’ for Ainsdale’s self-seeking yet visibly deteriorating Tory regime.
Find out more sad facts here about their unbelievable antics
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