Gardening Tips

Gardening Tips to help you in your garden.

Lawn Care

Lawns are fairly drought resistant compared with other plants, but they can become yellowy brown, limp and eventually bald if the following precautions are not taken:

Cut the lawn less frequently than usual
Raise the height of lawnmower blades
Use sprinkler on the lawn in the evening. Water lawns thoroughly to saturate the top 10cm to 15 cm of soil, avoid walking on the lawn if possible
Scarify the lawn in autumn. A build-up of thatch in the summer could prevent water from penetrating the lawn
Aerate soil with fork to help water penetrate the roots of the grass

Watering

Using the right amount of water is the most important aspect of a plant’s survival in dry conditions
In dry conditions, water containers plants at least once a day. Water in the evening to reduce evaporation
Try to avoid watering plant leaves in direct sunlight because they can become scorched, particularly when they have hairy foliage
If you have a automatic watering system with a timer, adjust it to take hot and dry weather into account
Move container plants into the shade if you are going away on holiday and no one is watering your plants

Disease

Water logging and compaction can create ideal conditions for diseases such as phytopthora and other fungal attacks.

Problem solving:

Do not walk on wet soil because this aggravates compaction
Dip up water logged plants in pots, remove damaged parts of roots and replant fresh
Remove any dead or dying shoots
Spike lawns with a motorised spiker and add lime-free sand to improve drainage

Plan Problem

A lack of water can cause stunted growth, flowers to shrivel. In extreme cases plants shrivel up and die.

Drought symptoms are noticeable at the top of the plant and they work their way down as the plant becomes depleted of moisture. Or signs first appear on the outside of the plant and work their way in towards the centre of the stems.

Test the soil by placing your finger in it. If it feels moist then don’t water. Many symptoms of drought are similar to symptoms of over watering, which can also kill plants.