Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 194Sep 21, 2011 11:24 pm Here's something that may be of interest .. It's a short piece I've written for an upcoming edition of Sunshine Coast Council's quarterly magazine (I work as a media & PR advisor for the council) re a new initiative some of the guys in the parks dept have started .. Basically they're brewing their own organic fertiliser that, in time, could be used right across the region, replacing the need for chemical pesticides ect. New brew bearing fruit Greener parks, healthier trees and a cleaner environment could be on the cards thanks to a new liquid worm juice that’s being brewed by Sunshine Coast Council. There are no manufactured formulas or chemical compounds in the new elixir – it’s made entirely from discarded fruit and the good work of garden worms! Every week for the past 12 months council has collected around 420 litres of unsaleable fruit from a local retailer and converted it to around 350 litres of liquid vermicast - aka worm droppings. The substance is then aerated to burn off anaerobic bacteria and allow it to be stored indefinitely. It’s currently being trialled in several parks as a liquid tonic that is helping to restore the beneficial bacteria in our soils in conjunction with products from a local biological agriculture group and the early results have been better grass growth and healthier trees that are more disease-resistant. The liquid can also be brewed into a compost tea and used for microbiology that has produced positive results on turf, plants and soil health. With a little fine tuning, council hopes to roll out its new liquid formula in the region’s vast parks and gardens network. The Kawana parks depot is also trialing new ways to convert its own green waste mulch into garden soil by using worm windrowing and micro organisms. It all amounts to more dollars saved by council and less chemicals used in our local environment. Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 195Sep 22, 2011 8:47 am Fu - I would be interested in your view to this response I got from a supplier in Adelaide when I sent this note:- I am looking for the following additives for my new garden of approx 100 sq metres. Do you have these in stock and can you advise costs, quantities I will need, etc? Perlite, Zeolite, Bactivate, Bentonite, Molasses. Many thanks The number of items you want to put in your garden bed is quite a lot and I think maybe doubling up. Perlite we sell in 100 litre bags for $26 however I don't have any application rates you may need to Google that one. Zeolite is in 25lt bags and cost $21 each, general application rate is 1/2 kilogram per square metre Bactivate is not a product we sell however if you go back to our website and search the Troforte controlled slow release fertiliser you will see the prills are coated in microbes that will do the same if not better job than the Bactivate. Molasses is more a pet & livestock product so we have not bothered selling this even though I have also recommended it in the past. You need to be a little cautious as it can attract ants that may bring with them other issues like scale and aphids. Not sure why you need Bentonite if you use Zeolite, anyway we don't sell Bentonite. At least it sounds like I can get most of what I want .. still haven't had the conversation with the landscaper the developer provides to do the front garden and verge ... hope I get a chance to add the organic compost and other bits and pieces.... For info on our build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43093 Built the McLaren by Dechellis - slab down 22 Feb - handover 30 Aug 2011 - and gardens finished 9 Dec 2012!! Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 196Sep 22, 2011 7:57 pm Beware!! Troforte: Chemical fertiliser that has higher than recomended levels of: Cadmium Lead Mercury Just like some Brunnings fertilisers and dynamic lifter. I personally wouldn't touch any of it. Regards, Matt Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 198Sep 25, 2011 10:14 pm What's the best way to put seasol on the lawn ? I bought three 2litre containers today - the ones that hook up to a hose - and while it was handy to be able to walk around with the hose etc, it was a bit tricky manoeuvring the hose connection around so it sprayed properly ... I've got quite a lot of lawn, front and back (live on 810square m) so it's be a pain to mix it manually in a watering can but at the end of the day I just want to get the best result for my green stuff ! Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 199Sep 25, 2011 11:15 pm Thanks Fu, Got the seasol, powerfeed going and occasional go go juice when i feel like a change I have read a couple of things saying that fungal problems can be caused when nitrogen levels are low due to excessive leaching when rainfall has been heavy. Not enough Nitrogen...too much... How do I know? Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 200Sep 26, 2011 8:54 am Spook Thanks Fu, Got the seasol, powerfeed going and occasional go go juice when i feel like a change I have read a couple of things saying that fungal problems can be caused when nitrogen levels are low due to excessive leaching when rainfall has been heavy. Not enough Nitrogen...too much... How do I know? I think you are over analyzing it to be honest. I'm about to put down some Merbau. Is it necessary to oil underneath the boards before laying? 0 2716 Hey There. No problems re jumping in. My original question was "should I have waterproofed" the concrete slab before putting batons down. We have been told we should… 7 4938 As above, you will need to trim your sheet to land on the joist, also make sure you are running your length at right angles to the joists 2 1807 |