Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Apr 29, 2011 2:16 pm Hi all
I'm getting close to laying some Sir Walter in the backyard. There is about 115m2 to go down, so it should be fun I have started gathering some of the amendments mentioned many times on this forum, especially by Fu. So far, I have bought: - 4 x 25kg bags of Zeolite from BAAG - 1 x 100ltr of Perlite from Just Hydroponics in Deer Park - 1 x 12kg bucket of Seamungus from Bunnings - 1 x 5kg Molasses from Pet Horse & Farm - Seasol and Powerfeed from Bunnings - 1 x 25kg Bactivate I am struggling to find Spongolite. I read somewhere that Richgro Aquatic Plant Mix is Spongolite, so I called Richgro to confirm. The girl there spoke to their chemist who confirmed that it in fact is. Bunnings sells this in 10ltr bags. What would be a good amount for this area? Another issue I have is, I need to build up the yard by at least 100mm. I am looking at getting 15m3 of the Certified Organic Compost from BAAG. I asked the chap there, whether the compost will hold it's volume over time. He told me that it wouldn't, and that my levels would drop. Is this true? I would prefer to use something that once completed, wont drop. Has anyone experienced this, and what other options are there? There aren't many places with good soils, and none that are certified. I am looking for a bobcat with a ripper attachment. The plan is to scrape the backyard and get rid of the rubbish, then to rip the existing soil. Next, bring in the new soil, add the above products, and then rip again to mix it all together nicely. Once this is done, the bobcat will level it as much as possible. I will then go around with the soil spreader and compact. Does this sound correct? Many things to think of, I hope I am on the right track. If it is allowed, and if anyone is interested, I can edit this post and add the prices that I paid for these products. Cheers Stripey Re: Backyard lawn prep 2Apr 29, 2011 3:04 pm SW will add more than 100mm something more like 400mm + if that helps. THe rest sounds right, just make sure you have a nice level slightly compact surface to lay the turf on so you don't get to many dips and bumps. Also lay the sir walter asap, the weather is cooling fast. It will take ok but you won't really be able to walk on it till spring. If you do wear out spots, you might need to patch up in spring. It might look a bit yuck over winter but it will come good in spring. Re: Backyard lawn prep 3Apr 29, 2011 6:08 pm Hey Stripey, can I just ask if your yard is an old block (ie. knock-down rebuild house), or a brand new suburb? How's the quality of your current soil? BTW, we were told by a landscaper that it's actually very good to lay turf in winter . He said that the only potential issue may be ocassional frost if you get them), but then the help would be to hose it off as soon as you get up in the morning. But this is for Sydney My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Backyard lawn prep 4Apr 29, 2011 11:00 pm Thanks for the reply guys. BeatrixKiddo, do you mean 40mm and not 400mm? I need to go up at least 100-150mm. Lex, it is a new estate block. The soil is mostly clay. I laid SW 2 years ago in May in the front yard, and didn't have any problems. It just took longer for the roots to grab. With layered soil and no prep, it is doing pretty good with little maintenance. This is what it looks like now. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ (excuse the dog Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Cheers Re: Backyard lawn prep 6Apr 30, 2011 7:41 am Lex they lay all year round down here too in no traffic areas. Re: Backyard lawn prep 9Apr 30, 2011 7:39 pm Yeah the compost does sink, considering the turf adds min 40mm and then you let it grow to a proper height you probably have 40 odd mm left to fill. Why not use sand & baag compost 50/50 to add say 100mm and once it all settles after a couple of months the levels will be spot on and you have great soil? Cheaper too. Re: Backyard lawn prep 10Apr 30, 2011 9:49 pm BeatrixKiddo, thanks heaps! I was starting to think along those lines, you just helped confirm it Lex, it was mowed yesterday, that will be it, till Spring. In Summer, every 2 or 3 weeks keeps it nice, and the neighbors jealous Re: Backyard lawn prep 12May 06, 2011 1:54 pm No worries, glad I could help with my minimal knowledge BeatrixKiddo, Fu, or any other guru, I think the Green Centre is my best bet to purchase soil from. Which of these three would suit best? I'm thinking maybe the second one... http://www.thegreencentre.com.au/soil.html Cheers Re: Backyard lawn prep 13May 06, 2011 2:21 pm If that is your options use the Lawn & Garden Blend Organic Soil. I prefer to use composts to add to soil to make the soil. Buying a soil is a bit different to a compost. I guess that can be open to interpretation. I wish you guys over east had access to the sorts of composts we have here in the west. Re: Backyard lawn prep 15May 06, 2011 11:54 pm Uh, me again ... about the pretty 2-year old SW ... You mentioned that it was just laid on top of imported soil. Do you know was the imported soil just the typical / the usual turf underlay / top soil / recycled soil, or something a bit better? Did they use fertiliser or gypsum (or both) at the time of laying the turf? And how many times have you re-fertilised the lawn since it was laid? And ... nah, that's it Thanks!! My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Backyard lawn prep 16May 07, 2011 12:00 am Lex, forget the fertilizers and forget layering soils. Anyone who gets good results with them is missing out on what could have been by taking a more organic approach. By using those concepts you will just see it all work. Use the fertilizer and lawn starters and the results and random fluctuations do my head in. Molasses after laying, bactivate before laying. Compost and soil amendments which hang around for the next hundred years. Nothing more or less. Backyard lawn prep 17May 07, 2011 12:13 am Gypsum is only effective in some types of clay and even then only has an affect after a few years, not a few minutes or days after laying the turf. Organic composts contain essential organic acids that break clay far more effectively. Powerfeed will also enhance this with regular use and have more immediate effects on the clays. Use a compost if possible. You have soil in the ground. By buying lawn soils or what ever name they give them, you are simply buying soil for your soil.? Whats the good in that? However add a compost to a soil to change it and improve it some sand and the soil amendments of spongolite/ perlite, zeolite too By mixing the soil the roots go deeper and don't stay shallow. That means when things get tough the lawn copes far better. Now that is easy to write off just now in the east but with a weakening La Nina, dry summers may not be far away again. Don't forget what your 10 years of drought was like in hurry. Don't under estimate a shift to a more Mediterranean climate occurring either Don't get sucked into the "the turf place said get a layer of lawn top soil and then some lawn starter and dynamic lifter. She'll be right" No wonder people see plastic grass as an option Re: Backyard lawn prep 18May 07, 2011 12:52 pm Fu Manchu Lex, forget the fertilizers and forget layering soils. Anyone who gets good results with them is missing out on what could have been by taking a more organic approach. So, what next!? Stripey, how often do you fertilise your 2-yo SW? My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Backyard lawn prep 19May 07, 2011 1:12 pm Then getting a sustainable healthy easy care lawn maybe out of reach My work here is done Re: Backyard lawn prep 20May 07, 2011 3:25 pm Lex, apart from the initial fertilizing, and one time after, none at all. Looking back, and considering the bad start it had with bad soil preparation and fertilizer, I am really impressed with how tough the SW is. It is rarely watered (twice last summer), but still looks great. Now that I have started using Seasol, Powerfeed, molasses and Seamungus, I am looking forward to how good it's going to get. And I'll be popping some Bactivate on in the next few days. One thing I am happy about though is my laziness, and not fertilizing as per the supplier's recommendations Good luck with your lawn, I'm sure if you follow Fu's recommendations, your lawn will be great. Cheers DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair That laser level looks lovely! We bought one for less than a quarter of that price off eBay. It worked really well for us and it's still going now, five years later. After… 1 16711 It's possible but a soak well is usually much larger. Your 'soak well' only holds 424 litres when full. What is your soil type? Soak wells need sandy soils. 10 9009 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 24864 |