Our grounds team have a great deal of experience providing grounds maintenance and landscaping services. We share their summer gardening tips here.
We have now arrived in summer leaving a cool and wet spring behind us. Although, there hasn’t been many hot days you may find your lawn at home has some sections that are starting to change to a more pale green as those species start to seed or die off. You may also notice that the kikuyu and couch grasses are starting to get greener and grow quite quickly now.
6 Summer Gardening Tips:
- It is time to get things ready for summer. Limit planting except where you can ensure a good supply of water and you can also use some water saving techniques. If you are planting consider using water retention crystals in the planting hole.
- Always water in new plants deeply to remove air pockets and reduce transplant shock. Try using a seaweed tonic mixed into your water at this stage. Existing plants should be watered in the cool of the evening to allow maximum time for the water to soak in.
- Ensure your gardens and pots are mulched well. Pebbles are good for pots as they also give some weight to the container making it less likely to blow over. Choose paler stones which will reflect heat.
- Consider shading more tender plants and moving pots to cooler and shady areas on extreme heat days. There are pot stands with wheels that can make moving items easier, or perhaps use a trolley.
- By now it may be too late to undertake a lawn renovation, but the application of a good liquid wetting agent will assist in water penetration to extend the life of your lawn in summer conditions. This will mean that benefits from any rainfall (or irrigation if you have the ability to do) will be maximised. There are some on the market that incorporate seaweed extracts to give the soils a bit of a boost also. It is also best for the lawn to mow on a high setting to encourage stronger root growth and plant vigour.
- Summer can certainly be the time that weeds can get away from us. Sometimes we are on holiday growing christmas cactus and so cannot get the time to remove them when they appear. If there are summer storms or gardens are irrigated, the warmer summer conditions will certainly mean that weeds will germinate and grow quickly. Consider asking a relative or friend to keep an eye on your garden. Mulch gardens well, and remove weeds prior to seeding to reduce the weed seed stock in the soils. Or maybe just have an enjoyable holiday away, and have a ‘backyard blitz’ organised for your return. Make a day of it, take some before and after pictures, have a barbeque afterwards and survey your transformed garden.
Updated from our original post in December 2013.
