On the back of a hot, dry summer, now is the time to repair, renovate and rejuvenate our gardens!
Our plants are coming out of ‘survival mode’ and coming to life again – and they are in need of some special treatment to help them recover from the heat!
It is the perfect time to tackle those bare patches on your lawn. Your soil has most likely become hydrophobic again, meaning that it repels water rather than absorbing it. Apply soil wetter and a sprinkle of compost, and drench it in with a seaweed solution. Soil wetters can be applied up to four times a year on our gutless, sandy soils.
If your lawn needs a little extra, you can apply a slow release fertiliser. While the soil is warm and there is still plenty of sunshine, you can ensure your fertiliser isn’t wasted. Choose a fertiliser that will release nutrients slowly so that your lawn and garden beds can absorb it over the next couple of months. Products that promise fast results will waste your time, money and most likely end up in our waterways.
Remember to follow the instructions on the packet; plants simply cannot absorb any extra nutrients and our soils can’t hold on to it. Check the weather forecast.
Don’t fertilise before rain, and make sure you water in it with a 10-minute sprinkler run. If you wait for rain to wash in your fertiliser, you will lose it all!
Make sure your hard work doesn’t go to waste by removing weeds by hand before they set seed. Weeds discourage lawns from covering well and compete with the plants we want in our garden. Now is also a good time to take the wheelbarrow and secateurs around the garden and do a little pruning to tidy up plants or remove those that didn’t survive summer. All those prunings can be mulched and returned to the garden or added to your compost mix.
Be Bay OK and use these simple tips for a functional and fabulous garden, while protecting Geographe Bay!
Lisa Massey has been the Bay OK Project Officer at GeoCatch for over 7 years and is a passionate gardener and educator.
The Bay OK project is supported by the South West Catchments Council, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
