The Australian garden is always at risk of wilting in summer, and steps have to be taken to ensure that your garden survives the heat and is ready to transition into autumn. This is especially so for the south of the country, where the heat can take the moisture out of the plants and flowers of our gardens. In the north, the wet weather and storms breathe new life into the gardens there, but nevertheless we still need to separate our time into enjoying our home’s outdoors and ensuring they survive the heat.
Richgro has eight essential tips to ensuring your garden makes it through the long, steamy days ahead.
- Keep Your Pots Cool
Pots are susceptible to overheating during the summer months, and it is important to keep them cool to maintain the health of your plants. The first thing is to reposition them in a place where they are not at risk from the western/midday sun. Place them in saucers of moist sand: this will keep them cool throughout the day and is a more suitable substance to place them in than water, where the roots would be at risk of rotting.
- Nutrients for Life
We can’t always water our gardens (especially when it’s incredibly hot) so it is important optimise the time you have watering the garden by adding nutrients and minerals. Water with a soluble fertiliser and potash for any fruit trees. Soluble nitrogen, for example, promotes plant growth, vibrancy and strength, whereas using potash for fruit trees improves the fruit’s flavour and juiciness.
- Look After Your Flowering Plants
Many plants, including camellias, dahlia, frangipani and gardenia all flower in the summer months. However, if you start to notice your summer plants losing their buds and flowers this most likely means the plant has dried out or is on the verge of doing so. This can especially occur when the plants are growing in pots. To ensure that this doesn’t become a problem and that your plants continue to flower, water deeply at least once a week and use a high-quality hardwood mulch. This will retain moisture in the plants and keep them thriving in hot conditions.
- Enhance Trace Elements
Through adding magnesium to your garden, you are encouraging full, robust growth and the creation of energy in your garden. Plants including roses and gardenias love the addition of magnesium during the summer months. If the leaves of your camellia, azalea, banksia, grevillea and citrus plants begin to turn yellow, your plants may need a boost of iron. The acidified soil is important for natural, healthy plant growth.
- Protect Your New Plants
New vegetable and flower seedlings require sun to harden. However, you don’t want to expose them to the harshest rays. It is important to shelter your plants in around 50 per cent shade cloth. Use leafy branches, old curtains and dead palm fronds for around two weeks. This well help the plants to grow without harming them.
- Be Strategic About Shade
A great option for shading your garden (and home at that) is to plant a deciduous tree that will block western sunshine from damaging your plants. A beautifully aesthetic alternative to a tree is by creating a wall of bamboo which will shade the property and plants, keeping them both cool throughout summer.
- Garden When It’s Cool
Whilst not necessarily a technique itself for keeping your garden thriving, it is a great option to do your gardening when the day is coolest. The mornings are perfect: this way you will have the energy to get as much done as possible and the heat of the day won’t drag you down. Also, remember all your necessities: water, sunscreen and mosquito repellent are imperative, and with these little extras at your side you should be able to get plenty done before the heat takes over.
- Keep the Lawn Looking Full and Lush
People often think that by regularly mowing your lawn you are reducing the need to do so, however the result can eventually become scalping – bare, brown and weed-infested lawns. You should attempt to mow your lawns at the tallest height the mower will allow for, as a higher, thicker lawn suppresses the potential growth of a variety of weeds. Feed your with lawn a quality organic fertiliser at least once a month, this will help to keep the lawn lush and vibrant.
Have Any Questions?
If you have any further enquiries on how to keep your garden colourful and vibrant throughout summer, or would like to find out more about the products available at Richgro can assist with this, feel free to get in contact with our friendly and knowledgeable team of staff.
Give us a call on (08) 6258 7100 or submit an enquiry form on our contact page and we will get back to you with all the information you require.
The soils found around volcanoes are packed full of fertility with minerals that can give the most productive soil and amazing plant growth. In Australia volcanoes are extinct but the soils around them are very much alive. We can now get the same fertile volcanic soil in our very own garden with Rock Minerals now available in stores.
What are rock minerals?
It is a natural mineral product containing microbes and trace elements. Its use improves soil structure by building soil fertility and allowing the microbes to interact with the soil, capturing nutrients, increasing root growth and protecting from diseases.
Rock Minerals are completely natural and environmentally safe. It can be used on all garden plants and will act as a great soil improver and fertiliser.
Do not confuse Rock Minerals with Rock Dust. Lots of people are claiming that they can use rock dust, which is often left over crusher dust with little mineral value or from other places which has very little elemental value.
Rock Minerals are rock elements mined from Volcanic Base and Sedimentary rock. Whilst they are technically different, most people will consider the term the same and hence when asking for rock dust, they often mean Rock Minerals.
Where do they come from?
Richgro’s Rock Mineral is manufactured from natural materials that are friendly to the environment. Using volcanic bedrock located deep beneath the surface which has been covered by decaying soil and matter over time, it is gathered, prilled and impregnated with beneficial microbes. This is all manufactured in Australia with the minerals coming from Queensland and blended and bagged in Western Australia.
To help you build and maintain a healthy waterwise garden the WA Water Corporation has offers on selected waterwise endorsed soil wetters, soil improvers and mulch.
Special Offers on Richgro Water Saving Products:
Get 5 For 4
Richgro Natural Pinebark Mulch 70L
$15.98 RRP – Code 2980101
Richgro Natural Hard Wood Mulch 70L
$9.98 RRP – Code 2980026
Get 2 For 1
Richgro Ezi-Wet Hose ON Liquid 2L
$11.98 RRP – Code 2962071
Richgro Ezi-Wet Granulated Soil Wetter 10kg
$18.52 RRP – Code 3022514
New Richgro Lawn Feed & Weed selectively kills weeds and feeds lawns in one easy step. It can be applied to all lawns including Buffalo and the 2L pack will protect 100 square metres of lawn. Read More.
Fruit will add beautiful colour and variety to your garden. Home grown fruits taste wonderful; you will also know exactly how ‘clean’ your produce is everyday.
Most fruits grow well in a sunny location. Avoid planting near other plants whose roots can compete with your fruit trees for moisture and fertiliser.
Most fruit trees will thrive in well-drained soil.
Adding organic matter is crucial to create suitable conditions for growth and using Richgro Premium Organic Garden compost or digging in some Richgro Manure will ensure just that. This organic blend, which contains key Richgro Water Savers, makes an easy job of getting your citrus trees off to the best possible start.
2. Feed regularly
Regular application of fertiliser is essential for large juicy fruits and good yield. A good fertiliser applied during the growing season will ensure vigorous and healthy growth. It also helps build the health of the soil. Ensure you always read the label for specific fertiliser rates for your fruit or citrus tree.
3. Water, mulch and use a soil wetter
Most fruit and citrus trees require consistent watering and it is crucial that they have access to enough water or the plants could become stunted, and suffer reduced yields and quality. Use Richgro EZI-WET® soil wetter so that the plants get all the water they need for maximum growth. Don’t forget to Mulch!
Mulching ensures you conserve good soil moisture and will also reduce soil temperatures. This, in turn, will help reduce the incidence of fruit drop on extremely hot days.
4. Keep good gardening practices to reduce diseases and improve resistance to insects Good practices (good soil conditions, fertilising and watering) will result in strong fruit and citrus trees, better able to resist an insect or fungal attack. Be familiar with the normal healthy appearance of the plants and fruit so that when there is a problem you will be able to tackle it quickly.
