Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 145Aug 20, 2011 3:04 pm Hooray! Thanks BuildingPerth. We should be done with plenty of time to spare then. Or have sometime up our sleeve to cultivate another giant section of our yard which is currently sporting dead weeds (if we can lug it up limestone steps somehow) and we're ignoring! Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 147Aug 21, 2011 9:24 pm 90m2 in 4 hours easy.. we had 100 to do and did it in a couple. Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 148Aug 23, 2011 8:02 am You WA people are lucky with the sand ... ie. easy to hoe/till ... Here we have to wait for big rains, then wait a day or two or three, then get deep gumboots and strong mattocks/spades and then get into it ... and hope we don't lose it too soon ... My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 149Aug 25, 2011 12:31 am You may think so. However our sands don't hold water. They don't hold nutrients. They are the oldest existing soils on earth. So water costs are far higher, nutrient requirements are far higher and overall greater cost is needed to set up a new landscape so it doesn't become a train wreck in the near future as water becomes more expensive. However from this we are also rewriting the books on sustainable landscaping. When the WA methods are applied to East Coast areas the results are staggering. The only difference for you guys over there on the wrong side of Australia is that you don't use Bentonite clay in the soil prep. Your clays and our sands are at opposite extremes and they have the same fix, organic composts. Not stupid lawn mixes and stupid topsoils and stupid lawn starters and stupid fertilisers and stupid gypsum and and wha wha wha Soil amendments will pay you back and they are there for seemingly ever. The organic composts can be raked in every few years if needed to keep up the cycle of organic material. http://www.lawnreform.org/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXXi9FGQ ... r_embedded Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 150Aug 25, 2011 6:55 am I was referring to WA being lucky with hoeing/tiling only , I know that over there you are at loss in terms of water and nutrients (yaaaay for clay !! ) Fu Manchu Not stupid lawn mixes and stupid topsoils and stupid lawn starters and stupid fertilisers and stupid gypsum and and wha wha wha But OMG, many landscapers over here stick to this and won't budge . My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 151Aug 25, 2011 7:35 pm True they don't and this is just one of the many reasons I donate my knowledge to you guys for free. If no one does anything to get these clowns to change, well nothing will change. It sure as hell can't keep going the way it is. Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 152Aug 26, 2011 12:20 am Fu, I called the land developers to ask about getting my landscaping voucher rebate for $3000. The lady was suprised when i said i want to do it myself rather than professional landscapers (the ones hired by the developer) because i reckon i could do a better job Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 154Aug 26, 2011 12:51 pm If there is any hassle maybe point them to this thread to show what you want to do and how we should be getting more contractors doing these landscapes to dramatically reduce the costs to the turf industry, environment, community and the domestic budget. Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 157Aug 28, 2011 7:10 am Lex You WA people are lucky with the sand ... ie. easy to hoe/till ... Here we have to wait for big rains, then wait a day or two or three, then get deep gumboots and strong mattocks/spades and then get into it ... and hope we don't lose it too soon ... only in Perth and along the coast. Some of us had to contend with coffee rock, gravel and more rock. In the hills and country where I am it's a bit different. And if I wanted to do the same out the back some clay as well. The only sand on our block was the builders sand pad. Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 158Aug 29, 2011 9:34 pm Fu, when laying turf on a clay base that needs to be filled with top soil - is there a certain depth of top soil where you can say that a rotary hoe isnt necessary? For example, if you need to lay 40cm of top soil to bring up the levels? The rotary hoe doesnt look very Bam friendly Custom European Cabinets - Melbourne Kitchen Specialist PM for business details as website currently being updated! Our Crazy Owner Builder Journey! Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 159Aug 30, 2011 12:42 am Well you can do that, but the problem is that the soil structure will lack the clay. It is an easy way, but understand that organic compost is consumed so the level may drop quite a bit over time. That compost is turned into highly available nutrients that are then used to make the physical plant matter you see. Now rather than returning it back to our gardens so many will cart it away after every mow. That is just crazy. Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 160Aug 30, 2011 12:44 am Also Bam, I wouldn't feel comfortable or sleep straight in bed knowing you used "topsoil" Look for an organic compost instead. The soil amendments, in particular the zeolite, will need to be used liberally with so much compost. I'm about to put down some Merbau. Is it necessary to oil underneath the boards before laying? 0 1936 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 4328 They using concrete or timber sleepers? Timber or steel uprights? Any drainage behind sleeper? 3 5891 |