Green Thumbs on a Budget

Spring is here, the sun is shining and the rain has greened everything up rather nicely around my yard! All my preparation in Autumn has payed off. Have you noticed lately that your lawns and garden beds aren’t looking happy and healthy? Are your lawns patchy or have dry cracked soil? Are your plants looking dry no matter how much you water them? Well I am happy to share a few cheap tricks that will help your lawn and plants thrive through spring and what is sure to be a very hot summer.

Compost:

Compost really is quite amazing for your garden plants. Best of all its readily available each time you finish making dinner. Stop throwing away all of those vegetable scraps right now! My favourite compost bins are the ones I make myself. I usually can grab a big black plastic bin or a pot plant pot from Bunnings for $5. Grab a hacksaw and saw the bottom off, flip it upside down inside the garden bed and place the lid on top with something heavy like a brick to keep it from blowing away. The best thing about the open bottom compost bin is that the worms and microbials can come up through the soil and break down all the organic matter into macronutrients to spread through your garden and feed your plants all year round. It’s easy to make and easy on your wallet! Here is a basic list of compost materials you can incorporate into your own compost mix.

• Fruit and Vegetable scraps

• Washed egg shells

• Leaves

• Drier lint

• Stale bread

• Paper

• Nut shells

• Tea bags

• Pet hair

Wettasoil:

Wettasoil Professional can be applied as frequently as necessary to treat water repellent soil and to conserve water in your pots, gardens and lawns. Wettasoil Professional lubricates the soil repellent barrier to allow deep penetration of moisture, creating a strong root system.

One application of Wettasoil will:-

• significantly reduce your use of water

• Helps relieve plant stress and maximises water usage in extreme conditions

• not harm animals

Wettasoil is enriched with plant stimulants, plant extracts, amino acids and growth stimulants.

This product has transformed my lawns from non-existent to be thick, green and beautiful in 6 months. Using 15ml in a 9L watering can spread over the lawn helps the soil absorb rain water or water from the sprinklers instead of turning into run-off. You can buy a 1L bottle of Wettasoil from Bunnings for $15.30 but you can get smaller bottles for around $10.

Mulching:

When it comes to mulch there are many different types to choose from. All of which have their own pros and cons. Chipbark looks fantastic and keeps weeds down, but can also change the pH of the soil over time which can have negative effect on your garden plants and it will end up costing you more to restablise the garden plants. It is also a more expensive mulch.

My personal favourite is a mix I make myself consisting of Organic Sugar Cane mulch, grass clippings and compost. This breaks down up to 6 months depending on conditions. It is amazing at keeping weeds down, holding in moisture and the organic material breaks down and feeds the garden with nutrients. You can pick up 15kg bales of Organic Sugar Cane mulch from Bunnings for $13.48 and one bale will do an average size garden bed. It’s easy to spread by hand and can go a long way as you only need an inch or two coverage. If you have a large property and need a lot more sugar cane mulch you can find businesses that deliver.

So with these easy and cheap tricks you should have a healthy happy garden.