Every year, for the past 25 years, IWESCO has celebrated Arbor Month throughout September. This green initiative not only marks the start of spring but also celebrates our customers and partners through the planting of indigenous trees. This year, IWESCO will be planting African wattle at our participating clients’ premises or at charity organisations.
These trees are symbolic of our growing relationships with our loyal customers and contribute to one of our core values of environmental protection. We aim to consider our environmental impact in every aspect of our job and we work hard to minimise our environmental footprint.
These indigenous trees play an important role in local ecosystems and, as an ISO 14001 certified company, IWESCO encourages all South Africans and businesses to plant a tree this Arbor Month. The initiative was instituted by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) in 1983 to highlight the value that indigenous trees offer to communities. This initiative will champion local trees and plants and usher in the new season.
Why we chose African wattle
This year, African wattle is our chosen tree. Also called Weeping wattle or African blackwood, Peltophorum africanum is an iconic tree that grows throughout most of South Africa. It is an acacia-like tree with small paired leaves and bright yellow foliage, which attracts a variety of insects, such as bees and butterflies. Unlike acacias, this tree does not have thorns.
African wattle is a medicinal tree with many uses. The leaves and pods are eaten by livestock, whereas the flowers provide a high yield of nectar and pollen for beekeepers. The roots are used in traditional medicine to heal wounds, relieve toothache and soothe sore throats. The bark can be eaten to relieve stomach cramps and colic, and the stems are used to treat dysentry.
How to grow African wattle
To propagate African wattle, place the seeds in warm water and leave overnight. Sow them into a mix of river sand and compost. Water often initially but cut down once the seeds have germinated. These trees grow fast and are incredibly drought-resistant, so they require little water once they are three or four years old. Be sure that the soil has adequate drainage.
Arbor Month is our way of thanking our loyal clients for their valued support throughout the year. For more information about our garden maintenance services or to book an appointment, please contact us today.
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IWESCO offers specialised cleaning and waste control services to industrial and commercial customers in South Africa. These services are aimed at minimising our customers’ impact on the environment. Our services also include pest control, garden maintenance, fogging and disinfecting. Our staff are highly trained to offer the most professional services. IWESCO is a Level 2 B-BBEE supplier with ISO 14001 certification for environmental management.
We are a one-stop shop for all your contract cleaning and waste control needs and have a national footprint. Our head office is located in Tshwane but we can provide services to any industrial and commercial client in the major metropolitan areas around South Africa, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Mbombela and more.