Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 94Jul 23, 2011 6:02 pm Fu Manchu I'd be inclined to recommend dropping some nice paving slabs against the house rather than planting plants there. However if you have your heart set on planting there, maybe a formal hedge of Correa or Callistemon Little John or Callistemon Matt Flinders. Further to that is the insects (particularly mosquitos) that are drawn to plants and invariably through your window. Personally I reckon you are better off spacing the plants away from the house, but especially near windows. Fu Manchu Huggy, can you imagine how many green eyed East Coast readers are looking at that lovely, easy to work with sand They can have it! Spreading out 2.5 cubes of compost, 45 kg zeolite, 45kg spongolite, 12kg seamungus, 75kg clay, 3kg bactivate, 3 hours of cultivating and compacting later I'm thrilled with the outcome - if my Palmetto doesn't go apes**t when it gets installed on Wednesday I'll be gutted. I had quite a few people on my street ask me why was I bothering and I just said look how sad and yellow your "winter green couch" is and thats your answer! My Dad still thinks I'm mad (waste of money, landscapers do it anyway etc etc) but I'm determined to prove him wrong. My Palmetto will be the envy of the street (although I dont think many of my neighbours really care what their lawn looks like). I'll try and get a photo of the standard landscaper prep compared to what I have done when i head back there this arvo to lock up after the tilers have done their thing - its like comparing a rolls royce to a honda civic....... EDIT as promised, mine: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ landscapers: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 95Jul 24, 2011 12:22 pm See how the soil has formed little clumps there. Nice. Now that you have done that, the real difference is what you don't have to do in years to come. You caan look forward to dramatically reduced water costs. You can look forward to a fertiliser free lawn. You can look forward to a lawn that doesn't look great, then crap, then great, then crap. You now have the prep work done that has dramatically made your lawn and garden go from having a negative environmental impact (water, nutrient leaching) to a positive one. Side benefits are absolute value for money from what you ever put on it. Your neighbours won't be. They can green it up but only a small percentage is used by the lawn. Why would you spend the money? Crazy in my eyes. (and the eyes of many of my collegues) Your lawn will be tougher and so will the garden. All the lawns will look good for the first few months. Many are pumped full of nitrogen and that will do great things...at first, then the problems start for the owner. Yours will be easier. Mulch, yes its cheaper in price but that isn't where it ends. It reduces evaporation from your soil by around 70% when used to 7-10cm thick. The black mulches will increase water loss by around 20% at a minimum but commonly figures are far higher. Now I hope that makes you ask why are we told all mulch is good? It's not The right way is not the quick easy way For Mycorrhiza, this one. MycoApply Defence. http://www.maiaustralia.com.au/index.ph ... Itemid=106 Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 96Jul 24, 2011 12:27 pm Oh and keeping the time of year in mind, it won't look the best for a while yet. Its cold and its had a hell of a ride after being cut from the soil. I doubt your going to need a water exsemption. Theres plenty of moisture and low evap rates to not need much manual watering. I strongly advise using the MP rotators on that lawn area. Some of the members have posted some links to get these for cheap here in WA and for the East. Using regular popup sprinklers is not a good situation for your future water bills or for water resources. Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 97Jul 24, 2011 12:29 pm For your grass tree see these guys. They rescue them from being cleared and that makes them the RSPCA of grass trees http://www.replants.com/ Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 99Jul 24, 2011 8:53 pm Fu Manchu Oh and keeping the time of year in mind, it won't look the best for a while yet. Its cold and its had a hell of a ride after being cut from the soil. I doubt your going to need a water exsemption. Theres plenty of moisture and low evap rates to not need much manual watering. I strongly advise using the MP rotators on that lawn area. Some of the members have posted some links to get these for cheap here in WA and for the East. Using regular popup sprinklers is not a good situation for your future water bills or for water resources. Yeah I know its a tough time to kick-start a new lawn, but it is what it is I guess. Ideally I'd wait til spring, but I dont wanna live with dirt and sorting out the landscaper to do it etc etc.......too hard. The plan is to use MP's, but in the meantime I am gonna live with what the landscapers put in (toro precision - they are listed as smart approved watermark?) til I can finish off the rest of the house and then change them over. Expensive business this house building caper..... Re: Fu Manchu's Guide to Laying Turf & More 100Jul 24, 2011 11:49 pm Oh, they are just as good. Very good choice, so leave the system with those. In some posts I have mentioned wobblers and the Toro Precision nozzles kind of work in a similar way on a far smaller scale. As good as MP's for sure I'm about to put down some Merbau. Is it necessary to oil underneath the boards before laying? 0 2540 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 4767 They using concrete or timber sleepers? Timber or steel uprights? Any drainage behind sleeper? 3 6113 |