Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: The journey begins.. 21Jan 14, 2010 8:11 pm Looks amazing!! Your hubby and neighbours have really done a fantastic job So, just so i understand it properly!!! The drip lines underneath are fed by the grey water which you've connected in the laundry? So you'll probably never have to actually *water* the lawn? viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22766 - my build thread! Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris. Re: The journey begins.. 22Jan 14, 2010 11:15 pm to_do_list haywgl TDL and Adrian B seem to have had good results with it Sorry Fu I'm really happy with mine...must post latest photo... ...and even though I used evil brick edging (Fu... ) the edges are easy to control. I haven't seen this thread till today Mate the edges are easy because you have buffalo and not evil nasty couch. either way, follow my concepts for a strong healthy lawn using less or even no fertiliser and your buffalo or EZ will blow you away Re: The journey begins.. 23Jan 14, 2010 11:30 pm There is a danger with watering your lawn like this. Be very very mindful of what you use in the washing machine or down the drain. Salts can build up very fast in the soil with these systems and the fixing that is bloody hard. The bonus is that you will start thinking more about what you put down the drain If showers are used, change the soaps and shampoos etc to ones that aren't going to bugger up the lawn. Here in Perth, we use gardeners direct for organic alternatives, especially soaps. The results are way better for everyone Re: The journey begins.. 24Jan 15, 2010 6:19 am I was reading up on this the other day and some of the big-brand washing powders seem to be really high in sodium. Apparently the home brand ones are the worst though. The problem is, in Melbourne this is the only viable watering choice. Most of us don't have space for enormous tanks, and even those who do find that they run dry way too often - we're just not getting the rainfall. You can't use mains water at all on lawns and the times we're limited to for watering garden beds makes it very difficult too. It's about time the washing detergent manufacturers came to the party. Especially since front loaders are more and more popular, and there just aren't the choices for those. Or we could all just concrete our yards. That'd be good for the environment. Re: The journey begins.. 25Jan 15, 2010 7:22 am Jodie - Yep you have pretty much summed it up I will have to water with a hose at the start when I first lay the grass to establish the root system, but because I can't use mains water I can justconnect a hose to my wheelie bin and use the grey water through the hose as well Fu - Thanks mate. I did alot of research into the washing powders, Paul from justwatersavers gave me a link to a table with heaps of brands layed out and their sodium and phosophurus levels. I ended up grabbing some Earth Choice liquid when I was in the supermarket the day before Paul came out because I had totally forgotten about the washing liquid so just grabbed something that said grey water safe on it. Anyway I haven't had any problems with it, although I just googled it and some reviews on the internet seem to say it doesn't wash really dirty clothes that well. Interestingly I have found it to be pretty good and I was 2 dirty kids clothes and one sweaty/muddy DH's clothes. There are lots of things out there though so if this doesn't work I'll move onto one of the ones I found below... I found this powder suitable for both front and top loaders... http://www.greywatersafe.com.au/ This is the one Paul recommened to me which is also for front and top loaders, he said he gets it from IGA http://www.lightningcleans.com.au/produ ... power.html I'm just about to put a load on now, I'll see if I can get some snaps of it in action! My karma ran over your dogma Re: The journey begins.. 26Jan 15, 2010 7:33 am This is a fantastic idea! Excellent ….. And I think it should be made monitory very every new build. Grey water should be used and not wasted. I have set something up from my washing machine, no way am I going to show you all, it’s pretty basic compared to this one. Love it well done! Have fun with your gardens. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: The journey begins.. 27Jan 15, 2010 7:47 am Thanks Michelle Don't be silly - I'm sure your DIY model is great. My mum has her own set up she just got one of Dad's old green bins and created a hole in it and fed her washing machine hose through it. It's very basic and has worked well for her over the past 4 years. She is however now getting one like mine, but mainly due to the fact she has a bad back and can't keep filling up watering cans and buckets from her wheelie bin and bucketing her garden. She is just going to get the hose attachment so she can water straight from the bin with only the weight of the hose. Also due to the hose not sitting perfectly in her wheelie bin she has had a few accidents where it has become dislodged and flooded her laundry! My karma ran over your dogma Re: The journey begins.. 28Jan 15, 2010 8:04 am haywgl Thanks Michelle Don't be silly - I'm sure your DIY model is great. My mum has her own set up she just got one of Dad's old green bins and created a hole in it and fed her washing machine hose through it. It's very basic and has worked well for her over the past 4 years. She is however now getting one like mine, but mainly due to the fact she has a bad back and can't keep filling up watering cans and buckets from her wheelie bin and bucketing her garden. She is just going to get the hose attachment so she can water straight from the bin with only the weight of the hose. Also due to the hose not sitting perfectly in her wheelie bin she has had a few accidents where it has become dislodged and flooded her laundry! I know her pain, thats what I'm doing, only my bin is outside my laundry. Post pic later maybe. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: The journey begins.. 29Jan 15, 2010 10:31 am kek The problem is, in Melbourne this is the only viable watering choice. Most of us don't have space for enormous tanks, and even those who do find that they run dry way too often - we're just not getting the rainfall. You can't use mains water at all on lawns and the times we're limited to for watering garden beds makes it very difficult too. Hey Kek, The major problem you have with new turf is the establishment period where you chew through heaps of water. Once you get through those 2-3 weeks, and if you follow Fu's prep, the water use drops dramatically. Thats why its best to lay mid spring when most of melbournes rain falls, i didn't water my patch of EZ for weeks on end after the watering for the first 2 weeks. (more info in the appropriate turf for melb thread) I have not watered also since the new years rain and the lawn is still super lush including the 44 degree day where everything else in the garden suffered. My tank is still full btw. We had average spring rains granted and my soil is clay based. My garden beds are planted with plants that live happily on the 1 or 2 drinks the water restrictions allow so the tank is only used for the turf, cars and the vegie patch. The plants are put in Autumn & winter, good soil prep & mulched well so when summer comes along they thrive on town water easily. A few tips i have learned for Melb folks on your watering days that you can do legally; You can water to the dripline of trees & shrubs, so any turf under the canopy can be watered legally. eg I have big trees with huge driplines so i can water the grass under my kids swing set. You can put buckets in the garden beds and fill them while watering. Stupid i know but apparantly ok. You can clean up after works, eg rinsing paint brushes, plastering gear etc, over your lawn at anytime. You can put your pot plants on the lawn when you water them. A little more *** is the outdoor shower set up, where you have a shower outside on the lawn each day. Bathers are the best option in the front yard Anymore tips anybody? Re: The journey begins.. 30Jan 16, 2010 2:17 pm nice job guys... so does this mean there will be no rain water tank? I am planning to lay turf after summer, but the yard still needs alot of preparation I considered drip irrigation too, but a 'shop/supplier' suggested it would be a costly exercise. I would still like a rain water tank, perhaps underground. You are lucky to have done the purple bin in that location, I can't get my washing machine pipe to work like yours, it would have to span across the laundry before it could 'poke' out through the wall and into a bin. So all of my grey water is going down the sink, figuratively speaking. I will be interested to hear how the turf performs after some time with the drippers, GOOD LUCK. Re: The journey begins.. 31Jan 16, 2010 2:32 pm Thanks brobri The turf is being laid as I type this and it looks amazing!! Yep no rainwater tank, we did look into it, but this system just seemed so much better for our needs. We have limited space for a tank, plus getting a tank and a plumber would have cost way more than our entire set up and we would only have gotten water when it rained, whereas now we get it 1 sometimes 2 times a day when I do washing I was told it would be $$ too, but when I looked into it I was amazed how cheap it was, our whole setup was done for $1275 cash which I was very pleased with I'm also dying to see if the grass stays nice and green like it is now Pics to follow My karma ran over your dogma Re: The journey begins.. 32Jan 16, 2010 2:47 pm Looks great Bel and what a fantastic idea Can't wait to see the finished result Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: The journey begins.. 33Jan 16, 2010 3:05 pm BeatrixKiddo A few tips i have learned for Melb folks on your watering days that you can do legally; You can water to the dripline of trees & shrubs, so any turf under the canopy can be watered legally. eg I have big trees with huge driplines so i can water the grass under my kids swing set. You can put buckets in the garden beds and fill them while watering. Stupid i know but apparantly ok. You can clean up after works, eg rinsing paint brushes, plastering gear etc, over your lawn at anytime. You can put your pot plants on the lawn when you water them. A little more *** is the outdoor shower set up, where you have a shower outside on the lawn each day. Bathers are the best option in the front yard Great tips.... but I have no lawn. Me and my lawnless garden are very happy too. Perhaps you should start a separate thread and post these tips - I bet plenty of people would be interested. Where are these photos, Bel? Re: The journey begins.. 34Jan 16, 2010 6:11 pm Well the grass is in the house!! The backyard anyway, the boys have still got the front yard to go. They got distracted and started painting the fence while they waited for the grass to be delivered They have done such a great job and I am loving it!!! It is hard to get a better pic of the layout, will try and get one tomorrow when I am not freshly showered as the dirt is horrible so I couldn't be bothered venturing off the alfresco The grass front on with our new Ironbark fence, needs another coat Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The right hand side of the grass where the trampoline will go, the white pipe will be cut down further and sprayed green. The other fence will be painted too Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Where the cubby will go in the corner, it is a huge elevated cubby with a massive 3.1m slide and sandpit under it. It has a dune roof to match ours and the boys will be painting it in Dulux Buff It with white trims. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This area in front of the grass will be decking extended from our alfresco area but a step down Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ More pics to come of the front yard tomorrow My karma ran over your dogma Re: The journey begins.. 35Jan 16, 2010 6:56 pm That looks awesome! I'm loving the colour of the fence too, gee you must be loving looking out there! 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: The journey begins.. 36Jan 16, 2010 7:59 pm Thanks Lisa It is SO nice to look out there! The fence has really added a new look to the whole area too. 4 tubs of fence paint for under $200 was well worth it I can't wait to have the cubby and the decking complete to really complete the whole place My karma ran over your dogma Re: The journey begins.. 37Jan 16, 2010 8:44 pm haywgl I can't wait to have the cubby and the decking complete to really complete the whole place Well, get your hubby out there, you have electric lighting. I'm sure he doesn't need any rest.... Pfft. Looks great - I bet it's nice to not be looking at dust and weeds. Can't wait... Re: The journey begins..GRASS IS DOWN! 38Jan 16, 2010 9:02 pm Wow, great writeup so far. Looking forward to following how you go, as we're nowhere near this stage, but needing ideas. Stefan Building the M3tr!con Liberty 42 at Stonecutters Ridge. The New Build Blog - "Life, In Progress." Stonecutters Ridge Community Website | My photos Re: The journey begins..GRASS IS DOWN! 39Jan 16, 2010 10:06 pm These guys should send over to you body washes http://www.gardenersdirect.com.au/comme ... y=+++GO!++ Laundry powder http://www.gardenersdirect.com.au/comme ... y=+++GO!++ You'll see them all there Re: The journey begins..GRASS IS DOWN! 40Jan 16, 2010 10:10 pm Don't worry about soil stains on the concrete because they are organic stains so they will go in no time. If it is a bother, rinse and scrub with a light bleach solution if it isn't coloured concrete. Get that seasol and molasses on to I can just imagine you feel knackered and sore, dirty and smelly and you just feel satisfied and I bet you just keep looking at it That is what I love about landscaping and nurseries, at the end of the day you see something for your efforts. A good feeling Any advice on how to ensure the kit home granny flat that im thinking of buying will get council approval. The kit home companys wont release plans without a deposit and… 0 7222 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Please help me to answer this question , it will help me a lot as i can go to buy confidently with your recommendation: I want to put synthetic turf in our backyard for… 0 5540 How long is a "long period"? For a few weeks, it should be ok. It also depends on the area you live in...I would let your neighbours know that you will be away too and… 1 28574 |