Episode: #10 4/11/06
Presenter: Sue McDougall

There are a few things you can do to at this time of the year to ensure a garden can cope with the summer months. Plant those plants that have similar watering needs together. This is what we refer to as zoning and it ensures the different garden areas only get the water they need. It is a great basic design principle that can be put into practice, even in existing gardens.

Sue can?t stress enough the use of mulches to save water and there are many different types of mulches on the market. Moisture retention is the number one reason to put mulch on the soil, spread it around everywhere because you can never overdo it at this time of the year.

Glenvar Lupin Mulch is an attractive chocolate colour and will not blow away in windy areas. It can be delivered to your door in 1m cubed bags or you can pick up a small bag at your local garden centre.

Lupin Mulch is the by-product from the broad acre crops. The straw is chopped up and composted into a product that contains many nutrients including nitrogen and potassium. Potassium is the nutrient that thickens cell walls and stems. So it builds up the rose resistance to disease over a period of time. It can also be used for all other plants.

As Lupin mulch breaks down these nutrients are released into the soil by way of soil microbes which are beneficial bacteria and what we want millions of in the soil and is one of the keys to easy care gardening. If all the effort goes into the soil, the hard work is done by these little guys.

A thick layer of mulch to at least 50mm thick will block the light to the soil and stop weeds germinating, always a bonus because weeding on any scale is what most gardeners get daunted by.

Do you want to keep up to date with gardening trends and get your questions answered all from the comfort of your own home? You can when you join the Garden Gurus online garden club. The member?s only website is a comprehensive guide to successful gardening in your area, as well as the feature to have your questions answered by on of the Garden Gurus.

Join this month and go into the running to win $200 worth of quality Fiskars garden tools. These tools are going to last a lifetime and be a great addition to any garden.

www.glenvar.com

Glenvar Mulch
PO Box 126
Wongan Hills 6603
Western Australia
Phone: +61 8 9672 1033
Fax: +61 8 9672 1023