IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
There are many irrigation products now on the market that can save you time and help you to use water more efficiently.
A simple timer can be attached to your irrigation system. This allows you to water while you do something else, without the risk of flooding the garden because you have forgetten to turn off the tap.
Computer operated controllers and solanoids can be pre-programmed to turn on your irrigation system at any time you choose. The more sophisticated systems allow you to apply different amounts of water to different parts of the garden at differrent times of the day, depending upon your requirements. All of this can happen without you even having to flick the switch.
WEED CONTROL
No one likes weeding, but every garden needs to have some sort of weed control. You can make the most of your gardening time by controlling weeds before they occur.
Mulching your garden beds can suppress many types of weeds. You can also prevent weeds from developing by laying weedmat under the mulch. Made from woven cloth, weedmats prevent weeds from getting started, while allowing water to pass through to the roots of the plants you want to grow.
Inevitably, some weeds will grow in every garden. When this happens, you can treat them simply and effectively with a spray-on herbicide such as ‘Roundup’ or ‘Zero’.
There are also a number of products that can make manual weeding easier and quicker – for example wands and extended tools that mean you don’t have to continually stoop to work.
PEST CONTROL
One of the best ways to save time in the garden is to choose and use plants that are pest and disease free. Grow plants that are native your area or that have been bred to resist these problems.
For example, if you like Roses, but don’t have the time to worry about Black Spot and Aphids, you could try growing Flower Carpet Roses. They suffer from few pest and disease problems, and are easy to prune. Similarly, the new range of plants in the ‘My Favourite’ range have been bred to be the best performing plants for the various climatic regions around Australia.
There are a number of plants that act as natural pesticides. These include Pyrethrum, Marigolds and Basil. Include these plants in your garden to reduce the need for time consuming pest control work.
CLEANING UP
Tidying up after gardening can sometimes take almost as long as the job itself, but there are now plenty of labour-saving devices available.
Blowers or vacuums are great for cleaning up leaves for leaves and other plant material from hard surfaces and lawns.
K’Archer high pressure water sprayers come in a range of sizes. As well as making short work of cleaning driveways and paving, they can also be used for washing walls or even the boat!
COMPOSTING
Using a mulching machine to cut up your garden waste will reduce the time it takes to make compost. The smaller the pieces that go into your compost, the faster they will decompose.
A compost tumbler will allow the compost to be aerated, speeding up the time it takes to turn your garden waste into natural fertiliser.
SLOW RELEASE FERTILISERS
Fertiliser is a sure way to get healthy low-maintenance plants. If you don’t have the time to regularly apply liquid fertiliser, then slow release fertiliser is the answer. One application every few months will provide your plants with the nutrients they need.
