Hello, my name is Iggy and I live in Perth, Australia. Last month, I was out in my garden enjoying the sunshine when I noticed that there was something strange on my roof. I climbed up onto the roof of my home and discovered some damage. While I was up on the roof, I took a long look down at my garden. Seeing it from such a strange angle made me realise how overgrown it looked. The next day I called in some contractors to fix the problems. While they worked, they taught me plenty of cool tips and tricks.
Maintaining a healthy lawn doesn't have to involve lots of chemicals or fertilisers. Want to have a happy, healthy lawn using the most natural techniques possible? Then, check out these types:
1. Choose a type of grass suited to your climate and soil type.
There's not just a single type of lawn grass. Rather, there are multiple varieties, and the types that grow the best in your area may be different than the types that grow the best in other areas. Throughout Australia, buffalo grass, zoysia and Queensland blue couch have long been popular varieties. They all tend to stand up well to heat and humidity, and most have limited watering requirements. If you are putting in a new lawn, talk with a specialist to see which type they recommend for your exact location and budget.
2. Support your lawn with compost.
Compost is completely natural, and best of all, you can make it yourself, so it's absolutely free. Start a compost bucket in the kitchen and fill it with fruit and veg scraps. When the bucket is full, move it to a covered container outside, and slop the scraps in. As the scraps break down, they turn into a nutrient-rich compost that will benefit any type of grass or soil. If your soil is sandy, the compost will help build humus to retain moisture, but if your soil has too much clay, the compost will make it lighter and easier for the grass roots to penetrate.
To apply your compost, aerate your lawn. Plop the compost down in scoopfuls all over your yard. Then, rake the compost into the grass. Most of it will penetrate the lawn through the aeration holes.
3. Try boiling water for weed control.
Surprisingly, it is possible to kill weeds in the grass using just water. Boiling water when poured over weeds has been effectively proven to eliminate them. One gardener pitted boiling water against a salty vinegar solution, and he found the water more effective. Water is about as natural a it gets.
4. Attract birds for pest control.
If you've got an infestation of armyworms or similar critters in your garden and you don't want to reach for chemical-laden pesticides, turn to the circle of life. Attract birds who love to snack on worms into your garden by planting things they like to eat.
For example, if you want to attract birds who eat insects, you need to plant things that thornbills, wrens, magpies, honeyeaters, robins and several other birds like to eat. This list includes eucalyptus, banksia spinulosa or the hairpin banksia, grevillea juniperina or juniper, eriostemon myoporoides or the long-leaf wax flower as well as several other types of plants
Share29 August 2016
