Waterwise Urban Tree Planting: How TerraCottem Saves Water and Improves Tree Survival
Urban tree planting plays a vital role in building cooler, greener, and more resilient cities — but it also comes with challenges. Harsh conditions, compacted soils, limited root space, and ongoing water restrictions make establishing young trees difficult and expensive.
That’s where TerraCottem makes a measurable difference. This proven soil conditioner helps trees establish faster, grow stronger, and use water more efficiently — making it an essential solution for councils, landscapers, and environmental managers focused on sustainable, waterwise planting.
Why Waterwise Matters
In many urban environments, up to 40% of newly planted trees fail within the first year — most commonly due to dehydration. Every failed tree represents not only lost time and labour but also wasted resources and budget.
With TerraCottem, trees establish deeper, healthier root systems that retain moisture for longer, significantly reducing watering frequency by up to 67%. This means less time spent on watering rounds, lower maintenance costs, and more efficient use of water — all without compromising survival rates.
TerraCottem is also Smart Drop Certified, recognising it as a Smart WaterMark product. This certification confirms TerraCottem’s proven ability to conserve water while supporting strong plant growth, making it a trusted choice for waterwise councils, landscapers, and revegetation professionals across Australia.
Proven Results in the Field
Across multiple council programs, TerraCottem has consistently improved establishment success and reduced costs.
One long-term local case study demonstrated:
- 🌳 Survival rates increased from 60% to 95%
- 💧 Watering reduced from weekly to once a fortnight
- 📈 Tree planting tripled over 15 years with no additional resources
These results highlight how using TerraCottem can transform planting programs — allowing teams to plant more trees, save water, and achieve higher success rates within existing budgets.
The Cost Advantage
When used for 2,000 trees, an investment of approximately $14,625 in TerraCottem Arbor can reduce water use by up to 67% — a return that quickly offsets initial costs through lower maintenance and replanting expenses.
On average every failed tree can cost around $400 in replacement and maintenance — so preventing even a small portion of failures adds up fast:
- A 10% failure rate (2000 trees) = $80,000 in losses
- A 30% failure rate = $240,000 in losses
According to performance data, clients using TerraCottem report survival rates of up to 90% with some cases even seeing up to 95% success rates, while replacement and watering costs drop dramatically. Investing in TerraCottem means investing in long-term resilience for your community’s green spaces.
Amazing Transformation
At Challenger Reserve, poor-quality stock planted in May 1999 began to fail within four months, with trees showing severe signs of dehydration and decline by August of that year. The four control trees in this area were replaced three times following repeated losses. On the final replanting, TerraCottem was incorporated into the soil. The difference was remarkable — by 2001, the trees had established strong root systems and healthy growth, and nine years later, all four trees remained thriving with no further loss. This long-term success highlights TerraCottem’s ability to improve soil moisture retention, reduce watering requirements, and dramatically increase urban tree survival rates.
Building Greener, Smarter Cities
Using TerraCottem isn’t just about saving water — it’s about building sustainable urban environments that thrive. By improving soil health, water efficiency, and plant survival, councils and landscape professionals can reduce their environmental footprint and reinvest savings into further greening initiatives.
Acknowledgement
Data and insights referenced in this article are based on field results from the urban tree planting program by John Murray.