With the weather about to get warmer and Spring about to bloom, we have 2 Top Tips for Gardening in August…

Tip 1 – Go on the Bindi Warpath

Yes it is that time of year again when Bindi’s start preparing their nasty little thorns for good Aussie feet!

How do you know if you have Bindi’s before you feel their pain?

The are small little, carrot come parsley plants to look at.  Usually bright green compared to a Winter hardened lawn, and on close inspection you will notice what will become the thorns in your soles come Spring.

Our team has already compiled a great article on Bindi’s and how to control them, you can Read the piece here… and view more images as well!

Fortunately there are a couple of measure you can take to eliminate Bindi from your lawn, including Soil Preparation and Spraying to kill the weed BEFORE the thistles appear.

Staying with the thorny theme…

Tip 2 – Prune Those Roses

If it’s been a bit cold to get out to your roses, then now is the perfect time to finalize the pruning of your Roses before Spring arrives.  Longer days, and slightly warmer weather should encourage you to prune to get the best out of your Roses this Spring and Summer.

According to http://www.homelife.com.au/ there are 5 Top Points of Pruning Roses…

• Pruning is essential, as is encourages new growth in roses, and therefore more flowers.

• July until early August is the time to do it.

• Don’t prune during frost as your rose will be damaged.

• Have your tools ready before you start.

• Cut roses back to a minimum of one-third of their pre-pruned size.

5 Steps to Simple Pruning

Step 1

Go over the rose, cutting everything back by about one-third. Remove any lingering flowers and leaves. Remove any suckers (growth from the root system below the graft). This makes the rose more accessible for more detailed follow-up pruning.

Step 2

Next, remove any spindly growth, dead branches and very old brown or grey wood, cutting all this unwanted growth off low down on the plant. Use the pruning saw to cut thick stems.

Step 3

Select three or five green, healthy, vigorous branches as the framework for the next season’s growth. Remove any other unwanted stems and then cut back the framework branches to an outward facing bud. An outward facing bud is selected to encourage growth away from the centre of the plant.

Step 4

Remove all the pruning debris, including fallen leaves and flowers from earlier in the year. Spray the pruned rose and ground with lime sulphur to control pests and diseases such as black spot. The spraying is done immediately after pruning as, if left, it will burn new shoots.

Step 5

With pruning and spraying completed, renew the mulch around your rose with a 5cm layer of organic matter such as lucerne, sugar cane, compost or manure. Water well when new growth begins.

(You can read the full article here)

If you need more information, come and talk to our friendly team in store…

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