Summer Gardening Diary
WHAT CARE IS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPECT TO LAWNS & GARDENS THIS SUMMER?
Lush green lawns and beautiful gardens have been a part of the Australian life for a long time. With water prices rising at a steady pace, saving water while taking care of the lawn and garden becomes even more essential.
I have put together some key points to remember this summer to survive these water shortages and still keep your garden and lawn looking green and beautiful as before. Lawn care begins from mowing the lawn, to correct watering and fertilising of the lawn.
WHAT LAWN SEEDS CAN YOU PLANT THIS SUMMER?
Emerald Kikuyu, and Pooch Couch are the recommended lawn seeds to be sown during summer. Please also check with your state’s water board for applicable water restrictions. (Please refer to the lawn planting guide for further details on establishing a new lawn.)
MOWING
Lawns that have been cut too low will have less ability to withstand stress. Mowing heights for cool season lawns (Tall Fescue, Kentucky etc) in summer should be approximately 5cm, this helps to shade the lawn and conserve moisture. For warm season lawns (Buffalo, Couch, Kikuyu varieties etc) mowing heights should be approximately 1.5cm.
Tip - If you are not removing more than 1/3 of the length of the blade of the grass, drop the clippings back into the lawn. A lot of nutrients are in the tips of the clippings and you are basically recycling your lawn and re-fertilising rather than dumping your money in the green bin. This means of course you will have to cut more often but it's so much easier not stopping to empty the catcher and your lawn will benefit from this.
WATERING
1. Watering once a week will keep the summer lawn varieties/warm season lawns (Buffalo, Couch, Kikuyu varieties etc) looking good. These varieties can go longer without water but won’t look as good. For cool season lawns (Tall Fescue, Kentucky etc) two waterings per week is considered ideal; but this may be difficult due to current local water restrictions.
2. Best time to water lawns and gardens is early morning (before 8am).
3. If using the sprinkler to water the lawn, try using sprinklers with a low projectory. This will result in less evaporation and more efficient watering.
4. Deeply penetrating irrigations that wet the soil to a considerable depth encourage deep rooting and result in a more vigorous, higher quality lawn, that will go longer without water.
5. Appropriate watering and mowing is important but equally important is fertilising and use of wetting agents on your lawns and gardens. A well fertilised lawn will have fewer problems (weeds, pests, diseases) compared to a non fertilised lawn or garden.
LAWN FERTILISING
1. Although fertilising on a frequent basis will give you the visual effect of a lush green lawn, the increased mowing and watering required to maintain your lawn in good condition may out way the benefits. Munns are very conscious of the effect that indiscriminant use of fertilisers have had on our environment and for this reason we suggest that you use the following as a guide only to the frequency of application:
High Traffic Areas 6 weekly
Normal Lawn Use Every 3 months
Minimum maintenance
Level Spring & Autumn
2. Golf Course Green will keep your lawn looking lovely for up to 3 months.
Suggested application rate:
Sandy soil 1kg -10 m²
Heavier soil 1kg -20 m²
3. On warm season grasses (i.e. Buffalo, Couch and Kikuyu) use Munns Buffalo Booster.
Suggested application rate:
Sandy soil 1kg – 10m²
Heavier soil 1kg – 20m²
As gardeners, we have to be a lot smarter about how we look after our gardens & lawns. Use of Wetting agents, mulches and selecting lawn varieties that require a lot less water is the way to go.
Munns Weta-Lawn & Garden, wherever it is applied will trap moisture and hang on to it for longer periods. In simple terms, if you applied Weta-Lawn & Garden to your garden or lawn it would take a lot longer for the next watering as the moisture will be held longer. This product is NASSA certified (100% organic) and will not harm the environment. Ideal for all lawns, garden and vegetable beds, hanging baskets, pots etc.
Suggested application rate: Sandy soil: 1kg -10 m² and Heavier soil: 1kg -20 m².
Munns Weta-Lawn & Garden will not harm earthworms as it contains no chemicals. It will not harm dogs, cats, etc. The average price for a 10kg of Munns Weta-Lawn & Garden is approximately $20.00. This will cover an area of 100-200m² depending on the soil type so it is quite an affordable & environmentally friendly product to use anywhere in your garden. Generally once a year application is sufficient.
Applying a good layer of Water Saving Mulch (available SA only) around your garden will assist in retaining soil moisture while revitalising existing gardens. You can also use Mulch in pots & hanging baskets.
PEST CONTROL
If you have ants, earwigs, lawn grubs, lawn beetle grubs, millipedes, mole crickets, slaters and corbie annoying you, now’s a great time to useLawn Grub Killer. It can be used on lawns, bowling greens, garden beds, tennis courts and around pots, pavers etc.
WEED CONTROL
After our Spring rainfall, many lawns have been overrun with weeds. Buffalo Booster Bindii & Broadleaf Weed Killer will control weeds like Bindii (caltrop), Capeweed, Creeping Oxalis, Paterson's Curse (Salvation Jane); Wireweed and other common lawn weeds. This product can be used on established lawns (over 3 months old) and Buffalo lawns 4 times a year.
GARDEN FERTILISING
Now’s a great time to fertilise your roses using Betta Bloom. You can also use Betta Bloom on other plants in the garden including tomatoes, vegetables, citrus & stone fruit. Another wonderful product to use this Summer is Organic Garden Booster which can be used on flowers, vegetables, fruit trees, shrubs, natives, seedlings, ground covers, pines, hedges, annuals and bonsai.