Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Mar 29, 2010 3:41 pm Hi, I have been in my new place for last 6 months and have been feeding weeds to grow in my backyard and front as could not get my act together for landscaping. Now I think I ahve delayed it a lot and want to rectify my mistake of not doing landscaping in the first place. My specs were exactly same for 7 people. Level the backyard, front area and nature strip. Take out the old soil till about 50mm to 100 mm depending on the part of the block. Get turf underlay soil and lay Empire Zoysia (which no landscaper recommended). Make a garden bed all around the abckyard and front and put organic soil in there. NO PLANTS. I will buy those and plant them. Kwik kerbe edging (30 lineal meteres) in front and Timber (h4) at the back (35 lineal m). Quotes ranged from $5K to $16K. Now the dilemma is how do I select the person and how do I make sure that they are doing the right thing. Only one person gave me the quote with an actual breakdown of the costs. Others have just given me one lumpsum. I am confused on how to select and what to expect. Also, I think my choice of Kwik Kerb probably is adding another 1k to an already streteched budget. Any ideas....any suggestions... I am in North West Sydney (Constitution Hill). Mohit Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 2Apr 01, 2010 11:45 pm Firstly don't layer the soil. This will create a huge range of plant health issues later on. What is best is blending what you have with organic soils. Or do a layer of blended soil and then a good 200-300mm of rich soil. If that is out of the budget then mix the two only . This will give a good transition between the soil types encouraging deep root growth rather than a wall of difference and stunted root growth and poor nutrient and water holding capacity. Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 3Apr 06, 2010 2:21 pm Thanks Fu. I have got the landscaping guys to come in this arvo and have a look again. I was going for Empire, but now all growers I spoke to are dissuading me from doing that. Everyone of them is suggesting Sir Walter!! Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 4Apr 06, 2010 2:57 pm I don't think I've ever met a landscapers besides Fu who has recommended EZ - perhaps they don't get a comission from recommending it! I personally like to walk on grass barefoot - and SW is just too coarse for my liking. EZ (as Fu has mentioned) also needs some looking after in the 1st year but then is good after that. I am going against our landscaper's recommendation - he wanted soil layering, very thirsty plants (we're on recycled water for gardens and he said that if it's available - why not use it - idiot!). You know you could do a lot of it cheaper by project managing yourself. Get a bobcat driver with landscaping experience to do the levelling and removing old grass. If he has a ripper (like mine has) he can work in good nutrients etc into the soil. The turf guys will supply EZ for about $5-6/m2 and then lay it for $1/m2 - for my lawn - an extra $350 to lay that much turf is a steal! The Kwik Kerb guys are about $45/m2 - get them in separately. DIY timber garden edging. Then do your planting. I reckon you could probably do all of that for $5k. As a guide - soil prep, bobcat hire, turf, garden edging - I'm covering an area of 350m2 for about $5.5k - part DIY, part professional assistance. After 4 years - we're in! Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 5Apr 06, 2010 10:01 pm mohit Thanks Fu. I have got the landscaping guys to come in this arvo and have a look again. I was going for Empire, but now all growers I spoke to are dissuading me from doing that. Everyone of them is suggesting Sir Walter!! The reason for that is, unfortunately for you, not because it is a good turf (it is) but has far more to do with the politics of the turf industry and the plant breeding companies that develop the different turfs. EZ, Narra, and Palmetto are developed by Oz Breed. SW is a Sir Walter variety. The little guy. Allegiances to breeders tends to have more to do with the advice given than that of what is good. I stand by EZ and it certainly doesn't mean I have allegiances with OZ Breed. I was introduced to it a very long time ago by someone you watch on telly. It has been a variety that from my experience continues to out perform others by miles. It is slow to grow and not such a healthy option commercially for turf growers compared with more profitable options like Pal or SW. = $. That should not put folks off choosing it. There is some dirty play going on behind the scenes so choose what you think is right. P.S. I don't get paid by any one single person in any way shape or form for any information or advice I give here. No breeder has any idea who I am or what I do here at Homeone. Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 6Apr 06, 2010 10:02 pm I've posted before, who says we have to have a lawn made of one variety? Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 7Apr 12, 2010 10:35 am Finally got my landscaping done (just clearing up rubbish, levelling and turf laying.) Did my timber edges as a start, will change to pavers in next 5-6 moths. Organic soil in garden beds done and now buying plants this weekend and planting them on my own... Just one thing that I deviated from FU's advice....type of grass...I still went for SW. Apologies FU. My better half would not let me go for EZ... Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 9Apr 13, 2010 3:35 pm Thanks for all help FU. Now I am getting up @ 5 AM and watering for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening...hoping that in 8 weeks time there is a lush lawn... I have not put any fertiliser in the soil and none after laying the turf...do you reckon we need to put any SW fertiliser now for the grass to grow better? Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 10Apr 13, 2010 5:30 pm Fu will recommend watering in some Powerfeed and Seasol weekly You can buy easy spray packs and concentrated refill at Bunnings. After 4 years - we're in! Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 11Apr 13, 2010 8:51 pm Oh no! Fertiliser does not make things grow better . They kill the beneficial living soil organisms that are the real things that produce quite naturally the nutrients your turf and your plants need. Feed the soil, never feed the plant One hour of watering is very over the top. In cooler weather you may only need to do this every few days. The soil will retain moisture far better than you may think molasses is the single biggest benefit you can give the new turf. does nothing for the turf but it does do something for the things living in the soil and they will feed the lawn for you in ways no fertiliser ever will. Oh and you sure don't need a special fertiliser for SW or any turf for that matter remember your turf has no legs Don't make it run. Have a browse of the turf thread, you'll pick up on some themes I will ad that how domestic turf needs to cared for is very different to a golf course or the turf at the turf farm Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 12Apr 13, 2010 8:54 pm From: http://www.soilfoodweb.com.au Quote: Although not apparent to the naked eye, a healthy soils a dynamic living system that is teeming with life. Most of the organisms that live in the soil are beneficial micro-organisms such as fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. While seemingly insignificant, they are represented in the millions in any given soil, providing a range of important services that promote plant growth and vigour. The collective term for all of these organisms is the 'soil food web'. The interactions amongst these organisms can provide plants with many of the requirements that they need to survive and flourish which includes the availability & retention of nutrients, disease suppression, and the building of soil structure. However, soil biology is an aspect that has largely been overlooked with many growers preferring to settle for something delivering a quick short term fix. The use of chemicals to kill pathogens and pests can also kill the beneficial organisms. The result is a sterile environment conducive to further disease and nutrient deficiencies. The quick fix often leads to a grower’s dependency on more and more artificial chemical and fertilizers to maintain his crops as with each application he is killing the natural soil food web. This could be compared to developing a drug dependency and the need to enter rehabilitation to kick the habit. Soil Foodweb Institute have been the soil rehab specialists since 1986 and by utilising their services you will learn how you can manage and maintain a balanced and healthy soil. A balanced and healthy soil food web provides many benefits including that the need for fertiliser, pesticide and water requirements can all be substantially reduced. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 14Apr 14, 2010 11:37 am Hi mohit Only noticed this thread now, but hope not too late ... I happened to have found out some prices for concrete garden edging, eg. $30/m for 15cm high kerb-style continuous border (all inclusive), or less for lower heights (eg. $23/m for 10cm high). Let me know if you need more details. My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 15Apr 14, 2010 1:10 pm Molasses from agricultural supply place (e.g. Elders in Windsor) or equestrian supplies. I haven't seen it at any nurseries. After 4 years - we're in! Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 16Apr 14, 2010 3:31 pm Lex, got timber edging...will go for clay pavers in the next 6 months...looking for plants and mulch now...hopefully this weekend, will get the mulch in and then plants after that... Stonecutter - how is it applied to the turf? Moved in December 2015 Still scratching my head as to why is old a new house and bought a 30 year old one!! Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 17Apr 14, 2010 3:56 pm Have a read of this thread Mohit: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=15058 Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 18Apr 14, 2010 4:11 pm Just read...made perfect sense...now just need to find suppliers in and around North West Sydney... Moved in December 2015 Still scratching my head as to why is old a new house and bought a 30 year old one!! Re: Sydney Landscape - Toughie for Fu 19Apr 14, 2010 5:56 pm If you don't want to use a watering can & have a large area to cover - you can mix up a strong solution of molasses and put it in an empty Seasol/Powerfeed spray pack. I know it's a bit of a drive - but Elders Rural in Windsor After 4 years - we're in! Landscape Design Parramatta We have been doing a large amount of landscape design work in Sydney… 0 3 Need advice on the backyard plan above. Should I excavate and cut all of the dirt to level with the house slab or semi-excavate as per photo above? Both left and right… 0 18986 Thanks very much! And would the landscaper/contractor generally involve the engineer or is that something the client would do? Thanks for your help 2 6754 |