Local environmental organisation Għaqda Siġar Maltin is raising awareness on the best time to plant trees and is advising government entities, local councils and other organisations to "not plant trees in summer."

Explaining the logic behind this, Għaqda Siġar Maltin wrote: "The Maltese summer is typically three months without a drop of rain. Maximum temperatures generally range between 30°C and 40°C, while the air humidity is low during the day. Days also offer around 12 hours of direct sunlight. Evapotraspiration, meaning evaporation from the soil and the transpiration from the tree leaves, occurs between 6 and 10 times higher than in winter months. This negatively impacts the roots, even if they're watered frequently, and therefore the rate of success is low."

Encouraging entities to "plant carefully", the post continued to explain that: "small trees need time to acclimatize to a new environment. Cool temperatures and wet soil help these small trees get used to their environment much quicker. The climate between October and May permits rainfall from time to time as well as a lower rate of evapotraspiration."

"Therefore, only plant your trees between October and March," the post concluded.

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