Sean Hide’s Growatree is a unique way of taking on global warming.
It’s the starting from seed that’s so rewarding,” says Sean Hide, referring to Growatree, his brilliant idea for growing trees from seed in a bag. Sean got the idea while lazing in a hammock. “I knew nothing about gardening, let alone indigenous trees, but as I gazed up at a laden avo I hit upon the idea of selling trees from seed,” he explains.
Sean laughs sheepishly and admits that his ambition was to make enough to retire one day to, well, a hammock. But since then his objectives have changed enormously.
“As the idea mushroomed I found my goalposts shifting,” says the 23-year-old. “My dreams have changed to hoping I can play apart in encouraging every South African to ‘seed’ the trees in which future generations can hang hammocks. I’m hoping communities will become involved so that the trees will be planted out in parks and along streets and in schools.”
At present Sean sells 12 varieties of indigenous tree seed (more are planned). All the trees are hardy, easy to cultivate, visually exceptional and occur widely. What’s more, all produce fruit, flowers or protein-rich pods that will attract wildlife to your door, and all have medicinal uses in African folklore.
You can buy either a Starter Pack, where it takes two years before the trees can be planted out, or a Baby Pack, where the interval is nine months.
With the spectre of global warming becoming ever more menacing, never has it been more essential for mankind to plant trees on a mammoth scale.
“My primary aim is to see a million trees in the ground by 2015,” says Sean. “My secondary aim is to see every child under 10 in this country learning to grow a tree from seed by 2028.”
Neutralise your carbon emmissions
- For every 5 000 km you travel in a car you need to plant a tree.
- For every 5 hours you travel in an aeroplane you need to plant a tree.
- A household which never uses a car or an aeroplane needs to plant at least 10 trees in its lifetime.
Text and pictures by Julia Lloyd. Article taken from the September 09 edition of Country Life. Sean Hide can be reached on 071 421 2522 www.growatree.co.za
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