Eager gardeners, this article is for you. Bruce Nutman, our expert horticulturalist, shares his expertise with top tips for keeping your garden flourishing during this dry season.
Top three tips for planting in season
– When planting, dig your holes a third wider and deeper than the plant or tree nursery container size. Always dig square holes and loosen the soil on the sides and bottom with a fork. Do not dig round holes as this will encourage the roots to coil in a circular pattern and stunt the growth.
– Apply a good organic fertiliser like Bounce Back and Bone Meal. Blend this into a good composted soil mix; stamp the soil in around the plant. Form shallow soil dams around each plant or tree.
– Apply a good deep watering to all plants and trees. This allows for air bubbles trapped in the soil to escape allowing good soil cohesion with the roots.
Top water saving tips for your garden
– Water your garden before 09:00 or after 16:00 (or even later on hot summer days).
– Avoid watering during windy periods and use drip irrigation in large planted areas.
– Use a trigger nozzle with automatic shut-off on your hose.
– Watering the garden less frequently, but deeper (for longer) encourages a deeper root system, which results in stronger plants.
Top tips on composting
Composting not only supplies a certain amount of nutrition to your plants and trees, but also aerates the soil. It also acts as mulch if you apply a course compost medium, which in turn will help to retain the moisture and water availability to the plants and trees.
Apply bark chips around all plants and trees as this also retains the moisture in the soil – wind and sun will dry out flower beds very quickly.