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Get ready for Winter

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Well the weather is changing and Winter is on its way, so it’s time to prepare.

Plants and turf can be affected by the cold, wind and rain. Plants tend to go dormant and growth slows due to the drop in temperature in the air as well as the ground.

Luckily there are some simple things that we can do to help keep your garden healthy.

  • Reduce water in the garden through the Autumn months as plants need less water when they are in this period, and turn off reticulation as directed by the water restrictions through the Winter months, but keep an eye out for any dry spots under trees etc or pot plants that are under cover.
  • Protect plants that may be affected by the cold, wind or heavy rain by staking and tying plants or trees in the garden.  Moving pots to a sheltered area and removing the water dish from under the pot to allow drainage.  Watch for stress due to the change in weather and position.
  • Remove any Autumn/Winter weeds by hand,cultivation or weed treatment as the seeds from previous weeds will start to germinate and some weeds such as winter grass prefer the cooler months to germinate and seed.
  • Fertilize the garden and turf areas before Winter to give them the best chance to survive the cooler conditions. Also add a wetting agent at the beginning of Winter and again in the last month of Winter so as to get great results from the rain soaking it in.
  • Winter can be a great time to prune back plants like citrus because they get less stressed when they go dormant or to allow for new growth in spring. 
  • Although we will cut the lawn less through out winter, now is a good time to mow it lower to help reduce thatching and promote new growth.  But be careful not to scalp it, especially if it looks stressed. If the turf is very spongy (thatch) you will need to get it verti-mowed. 
  • Try adding some winter colour, like Dianella with its many varieties and colours or even Pansies for instant colour.
  • Keep an eye open for disease like Black Spot or Rust Fungus and treat with lime sulphur. And pests such as aphids or scale and treat with Confidore.
  • Prune roses in July to avoid the worst of the winter cold, wind and rain and give the delicate new shoots the best chance.  Immediately after pruning soak the rose with Lime sulphur and remove all waste to prevent pest and disease in new growth. 
  • Top up mulch at the end of Winter to hold in all the moisture from the rains and be ready for the warmer months. 
 
Call Perth Garden Works now for your Free garden appraisal and get ready for Winter the easy way.
Ryan 0403 248 594

Lawn Mowing Tips

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Mowing 

Fortunately our main turf species generally cope well with regular mowing. However, if the root system is under stress for any reason (e.g. too dry, too wet, too hot, too cold, or damaged by disease, insects or recent herbicide treatment), the safest option for lawn health is to raise the height of cut and to mow more frequently to compensate.

The best cut height varies with the turf species grown. Leaving the grass longer helps retain soil moisture and reduces susceptibility to disease. However, as the grass density tends to thin when allowed to grow taller, this can also favour weeds establishing.

Under shorter cutting heights, the grass will thicken and choke some weeds, but this could also lead to increased thatch build-up in some grasses.

Shorter mowing heights give a more manicured look to the lawn, but can also lead to some scalping if not mown frequently. Provided the turf is not water stressed, lower mowing heights can be used during the warmer months when the growth rate is higher.

Mowing frequency

Warm season turf grows most actively above 25°C, while growth ceases below about 10°C at night. Other factors such as the species used, the age of the lawn, evaporation rates, rainfall and watering, the soil’s physical and chemical status, fertilizer application, weeds, insects and disease can all affect how often your lawn needs mowing.

As a rough guide, winter green couch should be mowed fortnightly in summer and every three to four weeks in winter, blue couch can be mown every Fortnight in spring and summer and every 4weeks in autumn and winter. The coarser, more popular buffalo grass cultivars grow well in summer, particularly when fertilized. They require frequent mowing  to minimize scalping and maintain good turf quality – typically every 2-3 weeks under good growing conditions, but during winter, buffalo grass can be left for at least 4-6 weeks between mowing.

Catching or mulching?

The decision to catch or to mulch grass clippings is an individual one. For lawns with a thatch or disease problem, it is desirable to catch and remove clippings. However, for an establishing or drought tolerant lawn, mulching will help retain soil moisture, return nutrients to the soil and build up soil organic matter. Because there is no catcher to be emptied, mulch mowing speeds up the operation. Wet grass will quickly increase the weight of the catcher.

Catching the clippings has the advantage of providing finely divided raw material for composting or for mulch over garden beds and around trees. However, it can also create a disposal problem. Mulching, particularly when damp or wet, can leave lawn clumps that will need to be spread out.

 

Some tips

Whether you catch or mulch, mowing dry grass will always be easier and more effective than mowing wet grass.

Ensure irrigation is maintained on a regular basis to prevent dry spots.

Pick up sticks, stones and debris before mowing to prevent injuries and mower damage from projectiles.

Call Ryan Now  to have your FREE turf assesment

04003248594

Rose pruning

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It’s Rose Pruning Season.

If you haven’t pruned your roses yet then now is the time.  Rose pruning should be done all year round but the one hard prune of the year should be done in the winter months.  I recommend towards the end of winter because after you have pruned your roses and the new buds and young leaves start to grow, the cold weather can affect their growth.  You also want the best show when you are starting to head back out side with the warmer weather and the fresh new growth and flowers. 

You will need a good sharp pair secateurs, a small hand saw, a thick pair of gloves and some loppers. All your tools should be clean so as to not spread disease.

When pruning a rose there are some rules that will ensure a great looking rose and will help to make pruning easier in the future.

  • Remove any old ugly grey wood or dead wood, you want new growth.
  • Remove any branches that are crossing each other or growing into the center (roses should be pruned into a open vase shape).
  • Remove any branches smaller than a pencil width.
  • Cut just above an outward facing bud (every leaf has a bud at the base).
  • Stand back and have a look, If it doesn’t look right cut it out.
  • Remove all leaves off the rose as disease can hide here.
  • Now you have finished pruning you should be left with a third of what you started with in height and about 3-5 main branches.
  • Remove all prunings and waste, disease can hide here too and it looks, well like rubbish.
  • This is important, treat the rose with a insecticide and fungicide. I think lime sulphur is best, make sure you soak the whole plant including top side, under side, in all the nooks & crannies and even the soil below the rose. (Only treat with lime sulphur in winter to avoid burning leaves and buds).
  • Fertilize with a slow release fertilizer or blood and bone. 

It will take about 6-8 weeks for your roses to flourish.

Now stand back and enjoy.   

‘Smart’ Looking Gardens

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How to keep Your Garden Looking ‘Smart’.

A regular maintenance regime is the first key to a great garden. We’ve had clients who lessened the frequency of visits from say,  a 2 week cycle to a 4 week cycle only to find out that it actually took twice as long for the next maintenance visit. And sometimes this extended cycle meant that some costs were increased especially in the area of refuse removal.

There are many things that you can do to help keep the lawn and garden in order. Here are a few tips that you could follow that are easy and also will benefit your garden in the long run.

Keep the edges between lawn and gardens clear, especially if your turf is of the couch variety. This will reduce the chance of the grass spreading into the garden beds.

Not sure if you know, but one long watering is better than watering your garden lightly a few times, because light watering will only sit in the top few centimeters of the soil and this promotes shallow root growth, which will then get cooked in the sun.

Depending on where you live as to what sort of soil you have will affect the watering regime and the duration. (as well as our water restrictions and better water management). Know your soil, find out whether it is sandy soil or loam soil.

Adding Mulch, Soil improver and organic fertilizes to the garden will not only promote healthy growth  in plants by improving the soil it helps hold water in the soil so you can reduce watering times.

Lawns usually need about an inch of water every week, although if the weather is very hot then you should water your lawn at least once in three days.

The best times to water your plants and lawn is either early in the morning or late in the evening, as this reduces the chance of water evaporation. Also to have better control of where your water goes, try to avoid watering when it is windy.

The optimum time to apply fertilizer for plants and gardens is when the soil is slightly moist, as it will absorb better to the root zone of the plants instead of settling on the surface and getting washed away with the next rain.

Not the same for lawn or turf. It has to be dry or you run the risk of burning the lawn.

These few tips go along way to giving your garden that extra touch of care that would make it stand out from the rest and thereby give it a hint of being special.

We provide a sound garden maintenance regime for our clients so all they have to do is enjoy their garden, that’s what they’re supposed to provide, an escape from the toil of life. Call us for a free site inspection 0403 248 594

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