With the start of the third phase of the action plan, this Tuesday the treatment foreseen in the so-called dragon trees twins and San Francisco, located in Realejo Bajo, and in the San Agustín Cemetery, in El Mocán. The aim is to preserve these specimens once the technicians informed, several months ago, of the need to take actions for their preservation.
The tasks that the municipal gardening service operators undertake today consist of the first of two scheduled cleaning operations with ecological potassium soap and the subsequent application of foliar fertilizer. They will affect the traffic around Realejo Bajo. From 06:00 to 09:00 hours, access to Guillermo Camacho and Pérez Galdós streets is closed to place the crane and the tank necessary for these treatment tasks at height, as well as the preventive and temporary elimination of parking lots in the surroundings to avoid staining the vehicles. That is why direct access to Realejo Bajo via Calle La Alhóndiga will be cut off, diverting traffic to Calle Las Tenerías, while the work lasts.
Once this work is completed, the treatment begins in the San Francisco dragon tree, approximately between 09:00 and 12:00 hours, with which access to the cemetery will be interrupted during the morning until the completion of the work, including the subsequent flushing and lower cleaning. In the case of treatment later in the dragon tree located in the San Agustín Cemetery, in El Mocán, and since there are two access doors, it will not affect traffic and the possibility of entering it.
Since last June, the Los Realejos City Council and the municipal services company, Realserv, have had a complete diagnosis of the real situation of the dragon trees and the corrective measures for their better conservation. Both the head of the Department of Plant Health of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Antonio González Hernández, and the technical specialist of the Drago Park of Icod de los Vinos, Juan Manuel Luis Zamora, participated in the inspection, with presence of municipal representatives of Historical Heritage, Rural Development, Environment and the Gardening service attached to Realserv.
The report resulting from the inspection advised replacing the ornamental vegetation in the planters surrounding the twin dragon trees and for another less humid one, covering the roots with soil and applying this special treatment at height, said Domingo García, councilor for Municipal Services. The councilor highlights that “the technical inspection left signs of optimism regarding the conservation of these specimens.” Along these lines, a specialized protocol is implemented to guarantee the best observation, evolution and maintenance of the Los Realejos dragon trees.
