Home Beautification: Top Turf Laying Techniques

Turf laying is an instant process of having the lawn of your dreams. The grass has already been grown for you so all you’ve left to do is to set it down on the ground.

Although it may seem elementary, turf laying is not a haphazard task. However, you don’t need to be an expert landscape artist to have a lawn that’s laid out as smoothly as possible. You just need to learn these top techniques to lay turf like a pro.

Condition your Soil

The success of your lawn establishment is largely grounded on…the ground!

Prior to laying turf, you must ensure that the soil conditions where you will plant it are conducive to sustain the growth of your grass. You have to bear in mind that the majority of the roots of your turf are chopped off during its harvesting so you need to address their needs for water and nutrients by following these techniques: 

• Remove existing lawn since it hinders the new turf from rooting well and introduces weeds into the new turf. You can use lawn cutters to uproot your old lawn or treat them with an all-inclusive weed killer.
• Loosen the soil with a tiller or rotovator and remove irregularities in the soil such as rocks, debris and perennial weeds. This would help later when you’re levelling the ground.
• Thoroughly mix high-quality topsoil and compost with your own ground soil and then incorporate a starter fertiliser into the top 3 cm of the ground. These additives increase the nutrient levels your turf desperately needs. 
• Moisten your soil to supply water to the roots of your turf. Moreover, hydrating your soil allows it to be lightly compacted before you rake the ground surface evenly.

Ideally, the depth of your garden soil for turfing is at least 15 cm but the deeper you can enrich your soil, the more conducive it will be for the sustainability and growth of your lawn.

Ensure Turf Quality

Time is a critical factor in laying turf. From the moment the turves are reaped, their shelf life begins ticking and the longer they’re left rolled up, the more that their quality deteriorates especially during the hot weather. 

To guarantee that you will only lay fresh and high-quality turf, it’s better to have it at delivered when you’ll immediately roll it down on the ground. Turf is typically dispatched within 2 working days so you must have your ground prepared by then. 

Similarly, you must only order enough turves you can roll out in a day. For starters working alone, 100 rolls of turf are manageable but no one’s stopping you from hiring help to finish everything within the day. 

Install Turf with Expertise

When everything’s prepared, you can begin establishing your new lawn. Below are some tips to ensure that turf is laid out as smoothly as possible:

• Start positioning turf along the longest edge. For fields that are round in shape, it’s better to start at the centre and then work your way out. 
• Stagger the turves in brickwork manner and ensure that they are close to each other but not overlapping. Push the turf if you need to but never pull them to stretch.
• Trim ends using a cutter to shape around any obstructions such as trees, poles, and path walks. 
• Fill spaces between turves with light soil to prevent them from drying out. This excess soil can be removed later on when the lawn becomes more grounded.
• Ensure that your newly-laid lawn and the soil are intact by lightly pressing down the turves using a rake or a laying board. This compression also eliminates air pockets under your turf. Furthermore, planks can also be used to walk over your freshly-laid turf as you work and ensure that your turves remain level.

Maintain your Turf

All the time and effort you’ve invested on your turf installation would go to waste if you don’t take care of your freshly-laid turf. Here are some turf laying aftercare:

• Drench your implanted turf with water so that its limited roots can reach down through the top 4-5 cm of soil beneath it where water has percolated. Prioritize watering the edges since they dry out quicker than the middle. Moreover, it’s best that you water the areas with laid turf first before finishing laying turf on the entire field.
• Avoid disturbing your newly-laid turf during the first 3-4 weeks by stepping on it so that the grass grows securely and firmly. 

Conclusion

Laying turf on your own can be a strenuous and challenging task. That’s why Trees Down Under is here to make your dream lawn come true and take all the hassles away from you! Trees Down Under is dedicated to making your garden grinder and more appealing. We offer high-quality garden services including turf installation for your home and office garden needs. 

Want us to lay down your turf? Feel free to contact us at 0475 463 597 or send us an email here: info@treesdownunder.com.au

Introduction to Hydroseeding

At some point in your life, you’ve looked at greeneries and wondered how grasses can grow so lush and even, especially over large fields and sloping areas.

As the world becomes more urbanised and modern, finding green spaces turns out to be difficult. But it’s not impossible to achieve if ever you want one! 

A method called hydroseeding can help you achieve your desired lawn quickly and cost-effectively. Lawn established through hydroseeding has grass that grows uniformly and sturdily in just a month. Moreover, hydroseeding is a good erosion control technique, especially in sloping areas and hillsides.

What is Hydroseeding?

Hydroseeding or hydraulic seeding is the process of planting grass by spraying seeds that are suspended in water and other ingredients such as fertiliser and green dye. This mixture called slurry is sprayed onto the topsoil through a hose connected to a hydroseeding tank where the mixture is constantly homogenised.  

This process of lawn development is a much faster alternative to the traditional method of scattering dry grass seed over the field and more cost-effective than turf laying. 

Hydroseeding Essentials

Hydroseeding is a straightforward process that only requires at least two things:

• Slurry – Slurry is the mixture of seeds, water, soil conditioner and additional components such as tracking dyes and binding agents. The green dye is used to identify the areas that have been sprayed over already while the binder or tackifier keeps the seeds fixed to the soil so that they wouldn’t be washed away by the rain and stay in place long enough to germinate. 

Hydromulching or hydraulic mulching is a variant of hydroseeding which incorporates fibre mulch into the mixture. 

• Hydroseeder – This is the hydroseeding truck or trailer that stores and constantly combines your slurry mixture. This equipment has a built-in hose with a particular nozzle for easy spraying of the slurry mixture. 

Hydroseeding Process

Hydroseeding begins with the creation of your slurry mixture and ends with your grass or crop germination and growth, of course.  

1. Your chosen seeds together with water, fertiliser, green dyes and binders or tackifiers are mixed together to create a thick slurry.
2. This mixture is loaded unto the hydroseeder to continuously mix and keep the components evenly distributed.
3. The hydroseeding tank can be mounted unto trucks or trailers for easy transport and spraying.
4. The slurry is sprayed on the surface of your planting area using a pressurised hose and nozzle.
5. Expect the grass to germinate within a week and your turf to be robust in about a month.

Hydroseeding is advised to be performed in the spring for seed germination because the wet and cool weather allows the soil to maintain more moisture. Moreover, hydraulic seeding during the spring can provide your grass more time to develop in the summer and fall before the damaging winter begins.

Why should you do Hydroseeding? 

Hydroseeding has so many applications and benefits to offer such as:

• Hydroseeding is a quicker way to plant grass and crops to a vast area, much faster than the traditional method of casting dry seeds. Moreover, results of hydroseeding materialise in a shorter period of time (around 7 days) and usually with high rates of germination.
• Although it is more expensive than the old method of scattering seeds, hydroseeding is more cost-effective than laying down sod or turf. 
• Hydroseeding can be applied to establish grass on areas that are hardly accessible such as hillsides and steep-sloping fields. It can also provide effective erosion control for these areas as well as in construction sites. 
• Hydroseeding can be used without mulch as long as the planting area has healthy soil and ample irrigation.
• Hydroseeding solutions can be used to revegetate areas after a wildfire. Aircraft application may be utilized to cover the wide field faster.
• Because of the wet slurry mixture, hydroseeding can help reduce dust pollution. Moreover, it can also prevent unwanted weeds from growing by incorporating the right ingredient in the mixture. 

Conclusion

Having a verdant lawn in your backyard or outside your commercial establishment adds an engaging factor to your visitors and clients. Trees Down Under can help you achieve your green landscape quickly and affordably. We offer hydroseeding and garden services to help you with your gardening and landscape beautification. Feel free to contact us anytime you want! 

Call us at 0475 463 597 or send us an email at info@treesdownunder.com.au

Differences Between Tree Lopping, Tree Trimming and Tree Topping

As much as there are many ways to properly prune trees, there are also a lot of methods that could negatively affect your trees. To make matters worse, the terms used in tree pruning are technical and can cause confusion. That’s why it’s essential that you know the differences between the terminologies used in pruning to properly address your tree and garden needs. 

Tree trimming is the sustainable way of cutting tree portions to improve the overall aesthetic, health, and safety of the surroundings of the tree. On the other hand, tree lopping and tree topping are unhealthy and destructive trimming methods that should be avoided.

Tree Trimming 

Tree trimming, also known as pruning, is the general practice of cutting insignificant portions of your tree such as the leaves, buds, small branches and roots. It aims to cut the overgrown, dead, and diseased portions of your tree just above the branch collar located at the point of branch attachment. When done correctly, tree trimming can:

• Improve the overall appearance and shape of your trees.
• Strengthen the health of trees and enrich the yield of fruit-bearing trees.
• Ensure the safety of people and properties around the tree by removing the hazards of branches falling off. 
• Prepare parts of your tree for transplanting.

Tree Lopping

Tree lopping and tree topping are unacceptable pruning practices. These terms are often used interchangeably with only a few minor differences. 

Tree lopping is an improper prune cutting method wherein the large side branches of a tree are VERTICALLY chopped off. In this technique, branches are indiscriminately cut through or below the branch collar.

Tree Topping

Like lopping, tree topping is also pruning malpractice which involves the HORIZONTAL cutting of the main stems of the tree. This is done through a heading cut wherein you chopped off the topmost portion of the main branch to a bud or to a small lateral branch that doesn’t assume the main growth. 

Tree topping significantly reduces the foliage at the upper portion of the tree, consequently reducing the tree’s crown size as well as its height. Tree topping is sometimes referred to as heading, tipping, hat-racking, and rounding over. 

Implications of tree lopping and tree topping

The main purpose of lopping and topping trees is to reduce the height and downsize the crown width of trees. This may be because the tree has grown exceedingly than its allotted space. 

Because tree lopping and tree topping remove significant portions of the tree’s foliage, these methods severely affect the appearance, health, and safety of trees.

• Lopped and topped trees look unappealing. Moreover, their patterns of regrowth are unbalanced and unsightly.
• Tree lopping and topping remove the tree’s leaf-bearing crown by half or in full. This creates a disparity between the size of the crown and roots of tree which affects food production and storage. 
• Trees that are lopped or topped may starve from lack of photosynthesis. They may cope by activating their dormant buds to produce epicormic growths but if they don’t have the energy to do so, they may not survive and die.
• Severe wounds caused by the improper cutting methods subject trees to stress, diseases and infestation. These wounds take long to heal and they weaken the trees’ immunity, causing the bacterial and fungal infections to spread throughout the tree. This can lead to the tree’s deterioration and ultimately, to death.
• Trees may also experience sunburn when the bark tissue is exposed. When this happens, cankers may develop and cause the tree’s external covering to split and crack, eventually leading to branch detachment. 
• Epicormic growths are not strongly attached to the bark of the tree so that when these fragile shoots grow bigger and heavier, they are prone to breakage. This can cause damage to properties near the tree and can also lead to injuries or even death to people.

Conclusion

Tree trimming can be done even if you’re not an expert arborist. However, knowing how to properly prune trees is crucial so that you can avoid malpractices such as tree lopping and topping. 

If you ever need professional tree pruning services to help you in your tree pruning needs, Trees Down Under is just one call away. Our team at Trees Down Under is equipped with the right tools, experience, and qualifications to maintain your trees as beautiful, safe, and sustainable as they could be. Want us to do the hassle of pruning trees for you?

Give us a call at 0475 463 597 or send us an enquiry here: info@treesdownunder.com.au 

The Cost of Beauty: Is Turf Laying Expensive?

The time it takes for grass to grow can be a lengthy one. But turf laying can make it possible in an instant. 

Turf laying is a time-saving and convenient option for you to achieve your dream lawn in a shorter period of time and with less effort. Provided this, it shouldn’t come out as a surprise if the cost of installing turf is more expensive than other methods. After all, grass has been grown for you and all that’s left to do is transplant them to your garden. 

The total cost of laying turf depends on three things: 

• The size of your lawn
• Your chosen grass variant
• Professional services for lawn installation

To install a 50-square metre lawn by yourself, it would normally cost you around $390 to $750, depending on the grass variety of your choice. This price range doesn’t include professional fees yet such as delivery charge, old lawn or soil removal, lawn mix addition, and cost of installation.

Size and Grass Variety

You can opt to work on your own without hiring professional help to keep costs down. In this case, you only have to consider the size of your lawn and the grass variant you want.

For the lawn turf itself, excluding the delivery fee, expect to pay around $7-$14 per square metre depending on the grass species. Here is a list of prices of different turf variants per square metre: 

• Kikuyu: $6.50/m2
• Couch: $6.95/m2
• Sir Walter: $12/m2
• Buffalo (Palmetto, Sapphire and Mathilda): $12/m2
• Empire Zoysia: $12.50/m2

The bigger the size of your lawn, the higher the costs you have to pay since you will purchase more turf to cover the area. Turves are usually sold in 60-square metre pallets so if you have the same size of lawn area, it would typically cost around $390-$750 minus the delivery charge. To break it down for you:

• Kikuyu: $390
• Couch: $417
• Sir Walter: $720
• Buffalo (Palmetto, Sapphire and Mathilda): $720
• Empire Zoysia: $750

If natural grass doesn’t do it for you, you may opt for artificial turf which can amount to $30 to $280 per square metre depending on your style choice.

Choosing Your Grass Variant

Aside from your budget and preferred aesthetic, you might also want to consider these factors to make spending more worthful:

• The climate in your area – Kikuya, Couch, and Empire Zoysia are ideal for Australian lawns because they are drought-resistant and resilient grass species. 
• Shade tolerance – The Buffalo varieties Mathilda, Palmetto and Sapphire are ideal for shaded lawns
• Maintenance – Kikuyu can be mowed once a week during the summer. Couch grass requires mowing at least once a month, and once or twice in the winter.

Professional Installation

If you’re really into beautifying your lawn and you want to invest on it, you may have it installed by turf professionals. It may raise the price significantly, but it’s reasonable given that you don’t have to do any work and you’ll be provided with quality service.

Landscape professionals can charge differently in laying turf but the key factors that determine the price are:

• Old lawn or soil removal
• Topsoil application
• Turf installation

Lawn Removal and Soil Application

It’s not advised that you just overlay your new turf to your old lawn. Having at least a depth of 10 cm of this soil removed can cost around $12-$19 per square metre. After removal, it will need to be replaced with quality lawn mix estimated to be around $12-$22 per square metre. Lawn sand can be a more budget-friendly option at $4 per square metre but it will require you more fertiliser since the nutrient levels get washed away quicker than the special lawn mix. 

Installation

Turf installations can typically be completed within a day, depending on the number of workers your landscaper has. Be ready with a budget of $5.50-$8 per square metre for the professional installation of turf.

To sum up, if you had to have an old lawn removed and then a special lawn mix added, your total turf laying price can reach $36-63 per square metre. However, if you’ve personally prepared your garden soil and you only needed the lawn installation service, it will bring down your overall cost to $12-$22 per square metre.

Conclusion

Spending money on turf installation is a good investment. Although it’s relatively pricier than the traditional method of planting grass seeds, turf laying offers you faster results, making your garden more beautiful in a shorter period of time.

Trees Down Under is always ready to give your green spaces their much-deserved makeover. We offer the best gardening services in Sydney including lawn removal and turf installation to ensure that you get your money’s worth. 

For questions or inquiries please call us at 0475 463 597 or email us at info@treesdownunder.com.au

How Trees Down Under Can Help With Commercial Gardening

As a business owner or an employee, your commercial establishment and workplace is your second home. So as much as you can, you would want to make your place of livelihood as homey as possible. In order to do this, you don’t only need to keep your lobbies, hallways, and indoor areas clean and attractive. You must also invest in the aesthetics of your commercial outdoors. 

However, developing your desired commercial splendour is not as easy as doing home gardening which you can carry out leisurely. It requires more attention, skill, tools, and effort.

At Trees Down Under, we understand your commercial landscape needs and listen to your preferences to provide your business environment with beautiful and engaging green spaces.

Why is Commercial Gardening Essential?

Your commercial garden is a critical aspect of your business integrity. It is the forefront of your company and therefore provides your visitors, clients, and potential ones first impression of how you operate. 

A visually inviting commercial space can turn passers-by into clients and customers. Moreover, having an exquisite landscape is advantageous particularly if you sell real estates and properties. 

Aside from being a thing of beauty, commercial spaces can also be functional especially for your business workforce. These areas can serve as your employees’ sanctuary in case they want to unwind during their break. The sightliness of your business landscape is also an enhancing factor if you’re holding events and team-buildings in your business premises. 

Who needs Commercial Gardening?

Perhaps the more appropriate question is, who doesn’t need commercial gardening? Okay, maybe those who don’t have enough land area to accommodate landscaping. But even these businessmen would want to have one given the opportunity. 

The majority of our market when it comes to commercial gardening are either business owners or property managers. Business owners are those who have their owned commercial space and are regarded as direct clients because gardening is done directly for them. 

Another type of business who needs landscaping is property management companies. These ventures are indirect transactions because these managers want to have the surroundings of their properties and estates developed for the sake of other clients. 

Trees Down Under comprehends that our clients have different requirements and desires about how their commercial areas should look like. Whether you’re a business owner or a property manager, Trees Down Under can provide you with commercial gardening specially tailored to your business type and garden needs.

Commercial Gardening vs Household Gardening

Commercial gardening is much like home gardening made more professional. Household gardening can be done for pleasure and at your own pace. On the other hand, commercial gardening requires more focus, time, and effort which you may not attend to because you also have your business to manage. 

Commercial gardening is also more exhaustive. It may entail the use of heavier equipment and expertise in maneuvering these types of apparatus. Moreover, it covers a wide range of area – from small lots to real estates. 

Because of these, plants that you will incorporate in your commercial gardens should only require less maintenance and rare tending. This includes evergreen and perennial plants that grow all-year-round and last for a long time.

How Trees Down Under Can Help You

Trees Down Under can do all your commercial garden undertakings for you – from new site development to renovation up to landscape maintenance. Our company ensures that our gardeners, landscapers, arborists, and workers are experts in their field. 

At Trees Down Under, we make sure that you get what you pay for your commercial landscape. We strive to meet your specified commercial garden requirements through our professional and skilled personnel. 

Find out more services we offer for your commercial gardening ventures here https://treesdownunder.com.au/strata-2/commercial/

Want us to help you with commercial gardening? Contact us at 0475 463 597 or send us an email to get a free quote.

Hydro Seeding versus Basic Seeding: Which is Better?

Garden and lawn owners all over Sydney understands the importance of a healthy and robust lawn. Whether in residential and commercial spaces, grasses play a vital role in the aesthetics and well-being of the green space.

Eventually, your gardening needs may require you to install a new lawn, repair an old one, or enhance your current garden landscape. For any of these, there are two popular methods you can choose in achieving a lush green garden ‒ hydro seeding and basic seeding.

Regardless of the purpose of the seeding process, you’ll have to weigh the benefits and risks of every procedure. Thus, you’ll know whether or not hydro seeding is a better option, or it makes more sense to sow the seeds by hand.

Hence, let us compare and contrast hydro seeding and basic seeding to identify which is the better option.

Hydro Seeding

Hydro seeding uses slurry, which is a combination of water, fertilisers, grass seeds, mulch, and additives. A mechanical pump sprays this mixture through a nozzle, allowing for a uniform distribution around an area. 

The fertilisers and additives included in the compound promote germination. However, the job isn’t quite done after spraying since you’ll need to water it for more than three times a day.

On the other hand, a hydro seeding process has downsides to consider when opting for it. 

Hydro Seeding Tackifier

One primary component for hydro seeding is glue or tackifier. This makes sure that the separate ingredients stay together after application and don’t wash out. However, the tackifier does not glue the mixture to the ground. 

Hence, when a heavy rainstorm occurs, excessive water could penetrate between the compound and the soil. So when enough water builds up, it could wash away the whole mixture in large sheets.

Hydro Seed Agitator

When applying a layer of hydro seed in your lawn, a mechanical or jet agitator continuously mixes the ingredients throughout the entire process. Since the mechanism blends the seeds, mulch, and additives evenly, there is no rhyme or reason about which component ends up above the layer and which one goes to the bottom. 

That means there is a good chance for the seeds to germinate when they are pressed firmly against the soil. 

However, despite the inconsistency of layers, as long as you prepare the soil well, it will still produce an even growth of lush grass. You have to make sure to till the soil enough to take in enough water without shedding it away. 

Basic Seeding

Basic grass seeding, or sowing, involves hand tools from the soil preparation up to the planting process. Similar to hydro seeding, you eliminate any weeds and till the soil by turning it over about eight (8) centimetres deep. 

This helps aerate the soil and loosen it up to accept the grass seeds to be planted. Before you can sow the grass seeds, you’ll need to firm the land using a compactor or lawn roller.

Unlike hydro seeding, you’ll have to fertilise the soil manually and make sure that it is moist before sowing the seeds. 

Afterwards, you’ll need to sow the seeds by hand and press them firmly into the soil using a rake and a roller. Then, you need to cover it with a layer of straw or any mulch of your choice.

Moreover, many gardeners agree that a straw mulch is way better than a hydro-mulch, as it provides better shade and protection over your grass seeds. 

Basic seeding also establishes a uniform layer of fertilisers, grass seeds, and straw mulch ‒ unlike the uniform mixture of a hydro seed where the seeds aren’t firmly pressed onto the soil.

Oh the other hand, basic seeding also has its own share of downsides.

Amount of Work

Every part of the process involves active engagement and serious amounts of work. From tilling the land to fertilising and sowing, you’ll need to bathe under the sun for quite some time before you complete the planting process. 

But it doesn’t end in sowing since you’ll need to cover the entire plot with mulch. While that’s fine for small plots of land, it might take some time to cover a vast space.

Time-consuming

Sowing inarguably takes longer to accomplish than hydro seeding. Each step might take an hour, depending on the availability of hand tools and the size of space to cover. 

Unlike hydro seeding which only takes up an hour or two to distribute the mixture, basic seeding will take a day or two to accomplish fully. Besides, sowing regular seeds takes longer to produce grass. However, it is far less expensive than hydro seeding.

Is Hydro Seeding Better than Basic Seeding?

We’ve weighed the pros and cons of both techniques. So is hydro seeding actually prove to be better than basic seeding?

It will mainly depend on your requirements. After all, they are mostly the same processes, except for the fact that hydro seeding uses water and additives to scatter and plant the seeds. 

You’ll also need to think about your budget. While hydro seeding is a faster and more efficient technique, it might even cost you more because of the equipment rental and labour fees. 

For basic seeding, you’ll only need to get your hands on a rake and lawn roller, as well as fertiliser and grass seeds of your choice.

Nevertheless, you’ll still need to have a regular watering routine for your grass seeds in both applications. If you’ve wrapped your head around these factors, it might be easy for you to choose whether to opt for hydro seeding or simply plant the grass seeds by hand.

Conclusion

Choosing between hydro seeding and basic seeding solely depends on your needs. If you’ll be covering a vast piece of land, it would be best to pick hydro seeding. 

But if you’re only seeding a small space, say your garden, then using up a bit of energy by sowing will prove to be a better option. Besides, exercising your green thumb and doing it with your family sounds like a great bonding idea.

Finally, how about complementing your lush grass with a profound garden landscape? With the help of Trees Down Under, you can unleash the true beauty of your garden. We are the only partner you’ll need for your commercial and residential garden landscapes.

You can put your trust to us in making your dream garden a reality. Call us now on 0475 463 597, and we’ll respond with a free quote. We are the perfect solution to all your budget-friendly garden and landscaping needs.

How to Manage Green Waste and Save Our Environment at the Same Time

In a time where health concerns are imminent, and the world is facing turbulent times, everyone plays an essential role in conserving and preserving our only planet. One way this becomes possible is by implementing an effective and eco-friendly waste management system in residential and commercial spaces.

Moreover, a single Aussie is responsible for about 400kg of household rubbish every year ‒ where 180kg of that comprises of green waste from yard clippings and food waste. That amounts to 15.3kg of methane emissions per annum. 

While that sounds small, it has a carbon dioxide equivalent of 321kg. Multiply that with Sydney’s total population of more than five (5) million and the numbers would significantly blow up.

Now that you have a vague idea about how harmful emissions from green waste are ‒ let’s talk about how you can manage your green waste and save our environment at the same time.

What is Composting?

Among the many ways to get rid of green waste, the most efficient method known to Sydneysiders is composting. It is by far the most excellent approach to eliminate green waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

However, it can sound intimidating, as people believe it is only for those with a green thumb and a sizeable yard.

Moreover, composting is an all-natural process of converting green waste into organic fertiliser through decomposition. It isn’t as hard as you believe because anyone with a small green space can effectively make use of this process.

How Compost Impacts the Environment

Green waste, as the name implies, is directly associated with compost. It is the end result of everything you’ve stored in a compost pit, including weeds, leaves, clippings, and food waste. Furthermore, these organic matter will decompose, eventually decaying into a potent fertiliser.

Fertilisers are also critical components for robust and healthy plant growth. On the other hand, widely available commercial fertilisers can introduce strong chemicals into the soil, reducing its quality in the long run. 

That’s where an organic fertiliser stands out ‒ as its all-natural ingredients do more good than store-bought fertilisers. 

Besides, by managing your green waste, you are doing your part in diverting rubbish from landfills. There, the biodegradable waste decomposes without the presence of oxygen, allowing for the generation of methane. 

Methane production is minimised in compost pits, as oxygen is freely available. Thus, compost pits produce carbon dioxide, which traps 86 times less heat than the potent methane gas.

How to Start Composting at Home

Presuming you’re planning to start a compost at home, you’ll have to look for a spot on your yard for a compost heap. For starters, it is best to dig a small pit on the ground or have a large container.

Then, add a mixture of nitrogen-rich “green” waste, and carbon-heavy “brown” materials. Green waste includes food and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and used-up tea leaves. Brown materials tend to be dry, including sawdust, old newspaper, and clippings from dead plants.

To maintain your compost, make sure to turn and shuffle it with a shovel and let it aerate. Moreover, adding water will keep the moisture which activates the decomposition. However, keep an eye on critters and rodents, as the moist environment of a compost pit is an ideal habitat for disease-causing organisms.

If everything is well done, you can sit back and let nature do its work. After a few months, you’ll notice a significant change in the appearance of your green waste as they morph into the soil. You can then use this material as your garden fertiliser and give back to nature in your own small ways.

The compost you just made promotes water retention in soil. Hence, your budding plants will need less irrigation if its soil is combined with compost fertilisers. 

Furthermore, it tends to encourage better crop yields, so you can get more out of your fruit plants with less water, which is an affordable way to grow your own food, flowers, and other plants.

Conclusion

How you manage your green waste will dictate how you take care of your environment. A simple act of ignorance and failure to take action will contribute to the increasing rate of global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, worsening the climate crisis.

Instead of throwing green waste recklessly, you can turn it into usable materials and give it back to nature in the most eco-friendly manner. With composting, you can help reduce energy consumption in rubbish removal processes, minimise air and water pollution, as well as improve the overall health and well-being of your garden.

When it comes to achieving the true beauty of your garden, you’ll need more than a handful of compost fertilisers. For your landscaping, tree pruning, and garden makeover, Trees Down Under is the only partner you’ll ever need.

You can put your trust to us in making your dream garden a reality. Call Trees Down Under now on 0475 463 597, and we’ll respond with a free quote. We are the perfect solution to your garden needs.

A Beginner’s Guide to Hydro Seeding Process

Among the many innovative techniques for landscaping and grass planting, Hydroseeding has gained a lot of recognition. Garden owners around Sydney are slowly adopting this process, replacing traditional methods of hand seeding and sod application, among others.

Nowadays, the hydroseeding process can be used for residential yards, commercial spaces, sports grounds, and natural parks, even with slopes and hilly sections. Moreover, the cost for hydroseeding a lawn is significantly lower than traditional methods. 

Hence, whether you are setting up a new lawn or restoring an old one, opting for hydroseeding will ensure a lush garden for an affordable price. That said, here is a beginner’s guide to hydroseeding process.

Hydroseeding in a Nutshell

Hydroseeding is a process where fertilisers, biostimulants, lime, and other additives are combined with seeds, water, and hydroseeding mulch to create a slurry that is sprayed to the ground. This process is used to establish vegetation in a residential or commercial space, and control soil erosion.

With little effort, you can turn a dry and lifeless yard into a lush and healthy garden. But in order to fully benefit from hydro seeding, learning the basics and using the right components should be the top priority.

How Hydroseeding Works

The critical component of every hydroseeding slurry is the mulch ‒ which works as the growth medium for the grass seeds. It helps retain the moisture, promoting germination of seeds while protecting the soil from erosion. 

Furthermore, you can alter the hydroseeding slurry with different additives to establish an ideal growth environment for the seeds. 

Another crucial advantage of the process versus traditional seeding methods is labour cost. All components for your seedbed are combined into the slurry. Thus, you don’t have to manually apply each ingredient into the soil one at a time.

Types of Mulch for Hydroseeding

Choosing the right mulch is vital for hydroseeding a specific area. Each type of mulch has its benefits, such as lawn establishment, severe erosion control, slope stabilisation, or a daily cover on landfills.

Some mulches are made using a special process that lets you pour them into hydroseeding tanks quickly. They also contain synthetic synthetic fibres or tackifiers which help retain the moisture and hold the seeds in place after spraying them onto the soil.

Common hydroseeding mulches include:

• Paper mulch
• Wood fibre mulch
• Wood/Paper blend mulch
• Hay/Straw mulch
• Cotton fibre mulch
• Erosion control mulch
• Alternate Daily Cover – Used on the working face of landfills

Step by Step Hydroseeding Process

As easy as it sounds, there are lots of ways for a hydroseeding process to go haywire. If you miss a few critical steps, you could end up with a weed garden or a lawn with no growth at all.

Soil Testing

Before conducting a hydroseeding application, it will be best if you test the soil first for pH and toxicity levels. This ensures that the ground is of good quality to promote germination and grass growth.

Weeding and Soil Tilling

After testing for soil quality, the next step is to eliminate all weeds and tilling the soil. Using a rake and a hoe, you’ll need to turn the soil and break down the large chunks of land. This promotes soil aeration and allows the soil to accept the hydroseeds. 

Moreover, you can also spray a pre-application weeding solution to quickly get rid of unwanted weeds that will obstruct the growth of grass seeds.

Hydroseed Application

Now that the soil is prepared and ready, it’s time to combine the slurry, seed, and fibre mulch in the tank and power up the hydroseeding pump. 

Using the special nozzle, generously spray the mixture into the ground evenly, forming a thick and even layer of slurry. Additionally, you can apply several hydroseeding techniques such as:

• Spraying out ‒ For a long-distance spray over a wide area
• Spraying down ‒ For a precise spray on close distances
• Trimming ‒ Using cardboard or any barrier to prevent slurry from splashing into unwanted surfaces (e.g., roads, path walks, walls, flower beds)
• Use of a platform gun ‒ For covering massive areas that might take a long time for manual spraying

Additional Applications

You can also apply hydroseeding above an existing grass bed or lawn. This application will effectively cover up exposed spots and improve the growth of the existing grass. 

Besides, you can use different types of grass seeds, depending on the soil quality and your preferred choice.

Maintaining Moisture for Germination

The job isn’t quite done after spraying the mixture. For the next couple of weeks, you’ll have to keep your lawn wet. This will promote germination and help establish healthy and uniform growth.

Besides, installing a garden sprinkler will be practical since you’ll need to water your lawn more than three times a day, depending on the weather conditions. On the other hand, these options won’t be as good as letting a garden professional take care of it.

Summary

Hydroseeding is practically the best way to create a beautiful and lush lawn with minimal effort. Experts from Trees Down Under recommend starting hydroseeding your garden in the summer and spring to establish the grassroots before winter.

Finally, complementing a hydroseeding project with a thorough garden landscaping will unleash the true beauty of your garden. For your garden needs, Trees Down Under is the only partner you’ll need for your residential and commercial garden landscapes.

You can put your trust to us in making your dream garden a reality. Call us now on 0475 463 597, and we’ll respond with a free estimate. We are the perfect solution to all your budget-friendly garden and landscaping needs.

Popular Industrial Garden Design Trends to Watch this 2020

The advent of the information age and the fourth industrial revolution gave birth to the modern and sophisticated Sydney lifestyle. Despite the fast-paced way of life and the rise of different industries, gardening remained to be a passion for many. Hence, various garden trends have become more inclined towards industrial elements and landscapes.

Moreover, gardening is among the best stress relievers and healthy activities for your whole family. Even with an industrial unit or a yard surrounded by debris and unkempt spots, your dream garden is still possible with the help of a few landscaping and industrial garden design.

With that said, here are popular industrial garden design trends to look out for this 2020.

Steel and Stone

Most industrial landscapes incorporate steel and stone elements. Besides, gardens are no exemption, as more and more backyards are reusing metal plates as planter boxes and boulders as rock stairs or pathways. 

Furthermore, you can utilise materials such as copper coils, rockeries, statues, and metal fans as water and landscape elements. Complementing them with the right vegetation and floral choice will surely highlight a rustic and vintage subject to your backyard.

Native Plant Selection

One of the primary functions of an industrial garden is to combat environmental pollution and to spruce up commercial green space. Since these landscapes play a critical role in minimising dust while maintaining pleasant aesthetics, you need to rely on resilient and visually appealing plants.

A practical way to ensure attaining both qualities is by opting for native plant selections. Native flowers such as Waratahs and Spotted Emu Bush are resilient against Sydney’s temperate climate and are excellent complementary plants for any industrial garden design.

Salvage Yard Landscapes

Most factories and industrial facilities have a salvage yard lying around, collecting scrap metal and junk materials. If you’re the type who looks at silver linings, then you would love to reclaim a salvage yard into a garden.

Adding a few garden elements while keeping most of your salvage yard untouched will underline a raw industrial beauty with bursting colours brought by native flowers and natural garden elements and wildlife. With the right combination of rustic metal and natural objects, you can create a new life out of unwanted by-products.

Water Features and Scrap Metal

Contemporary and modern industrial garden designs include the integration of scrap metal and industrial objects with water features, such as mini-fountains and flowing ponds. Using submersible pumps and creating a miniature waterfall ornamented with metal plates and sculptures are becoming popular, to reuse industrial rubbish.

Furthermore, the presence and sound of flowing water in an industrial garden are refreshing and relaxing ‒ especially for people who’d love to take a rest around industrial gardens. Also, water features such as bird baths are essential for wildlife to flourish. After all, you’d love the presence of chirping birds giving life to your floral refuge.

LED Outdoor Lighting

Landscaping your garden to make use of natural light is one thing, and having outdoor lighting for the dark is another. Artificial outdoor lighting is becoming a massive trend, thanks to advanced LED waterproofing technologies and a more extensive colour range.

Using specific colour tones that showcase a vintage mood will best complement the rustic features of an industrial garden. Moreover, you can use LED strips to draw the boundaries and outlines of your garden and its structures. 

LED downlights are also excellent choices for your path walks since they don’t emit light directly to your eyes. Instead, they fill the ground with a warm tone, revealing an ethereal route that’s only visible in the night. 

Aside from that, installing an adequate amount of lighting will be beneficial for your safety during outdoor camps and family gatherings at night.

Conclusion

Gardening around an industrial facility or at your backyard is a small step in curbing pollution levels and improving the charm of your space at the same time. For commercial spaces, installing an industrial garden can help provide coolness for workers who needs a respite from the daily grind.

Your green space or salvage yard has a lot of potential in becoming an oasis on Sydney’s temperate climates. For your garden needs, Trees Down Under is the only partner you’ll need for your industrial garden landscapes.

You can place your trust on us in making your dream garden a reality. Call us now on 0475 463 597, and we’ll respond with a free estimate. We are the perfect solution to all your budget-friendly garden and landscaping needs.

Techniques Used in Hydroseeding

Hydroseeding has gained a ton of reputation for gardeners and yard owners alike. Hence, Sydneysiders are eventually adopting this process over sod application and hand seeding due to its low cost and efficiency. 

Currently, people use hydro seeding applications for residential and commercial yards, natural parks, sports grounds, and sloped or hilly areas. 

Moreover, many people think about how they do hydro seeding is vital in achieving positive results. But in reality, hydro seeding is very forgiving ‒ and depending on how well you’ve prepared the soil beforehand, the odds of success are in your favour.

Instead, the critical area of concern for every hydro seeding project is how efficient and uniform you apply your materials. With that, here are different techniques used in hydro seeding:

Hydroseeding Process

Most of the steps involved in hydro seeding aren’t entirely different from hand planting grass seeds ‒ except for the spraying. Regardless of the application, you should prepare a healthy and welcoming soil, or else every penny and time you spend on hydro seeding will go to waste.

Before every hydro seeding process, you should strip the ground of rock and debris and improve the soil quality by adding organic matter to help hold the moisture and nutrients. Then, smooth the soil to the desired grade using a rake, and lightly compact the ground. 

After preparing the land, the ingredients are then mixed into the hydro seeding machine to create a slurry mixture. This is composed of mulch, seed, water, and other additives. Afterwards, the hydro seeding machine pumps the slurry through a hose and exit to a spray nozzle. 

Techniques in Hydroseed Spraying

There are several techniques applied in spraying the slurry all across a piece of land. These methods depend on many factors such as precision, distance, and thickness of application.

Spraying Out

Many hydro seeders prefer spraying close to a horizontal angle. Spraying out will give you the ideal build-up of a mulch layer versus other spraying techniques. Some applicators even put the hose over their shoulders, allowing for a comfortable movement and better control over the large nozzle.

Additionally, some people feel a need to hold the nozzle overhead, which gives more spray distance and provides them with excellent visibility.

Spraying Down

When it comes to precision, pointing the hose at the ground and spraying down offers better results. Because the nozzle projects the slurry closer to the surface, it buries the seeds deeper into a spot where the soil has better water retention. 

On the other hand, since the mulch also penetrates deeper in the soil, it cannot shield the components from the sun as much as spraying it out. Besides, the hydro seeding job won’t have a brighter result compared with more mulch build-up on the soil surface.

Combined Spraying

When hydro seeding a significantly vast garden space, you’d need to have both precision and coverage for an efficient job. That’s why some people prefer switching between spraying out and spraying down.

Using a combined approach when hydro spraying is an excellent technique for creating a beautiful and uniform lawn. You can use do this by making a spray pass that is pointing down and then spraying out. Besides, this method is reliable in building up a protective layer of mulch.

Trimming

Most of the time, we will be hydro seeding near path walks, structures, and other plots of land. In these cases, trimming is an excellent technique in ensuring a precise and uniform distribution near borders and other surfaces.

By slightly closing the nozzle valve and pointing it closer to the surface, you can trim with accuracy and precision. Moreover, you can use a piece of cardboard and use it to cover the surfaces you don’t want to get splashed. It is also better to spray the slurry vertically when trimming to avoid splattering.

Platform Guns

Using a hose and nozzle in hydro seeding a wide area can take hours of labour under the heat. Hence, hydro seeding platform guns are great in covering larger areas with minimal effort versus a manual distribution.

Larger hydroseeding machines and tanks are mounted onto a platform where it sprays the slurry using a platform gun. This process is highly efficient as the powerful pump can spray the materials on longer distances without having the operator move an inch.

On the other hand, maintaining an even layer of mulch might be difficult with a narrow spray pattern. However, using a straight stream nozzle will allow the slurry to spread as it gets farther from the platform gun.

Conclusion

There are several task-specific hydro seeding techniques for every patch of land. With the right tools and skills, you can achieve great results for your lawn and garden. To ensure quality and cost-effective grass seeding, having a gardening professional do the task is still the most practical choice.

For your garden needs, Trees Down Under is the only partner you’ll need for your residential and industrial garden landscapes. Our team of expert landscapers will gladly level up your humble landscape and make it stand out, anywhere in Sydney’s Northern Suburbs. 

You can put your trust to us in making your dream garden a reality. Call us now on 0475 463 597, and we’ll respond with a free estimate. We are the perfect solution to all your budget-friendly garden and landscaping needs.