I know, it has been a while since my last blog and frankly, it is only because I have been so overwhelmed with work since returning from the USA in August.
I had a fabulous trip attending GardenComm2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah where it was very dry and very hot and I was able to see some great gardens using very little water as well as new irrigation techniques. I also visited some new subdivisions to gain an insight into ways in which people can create beautiful gardens using very little water while still maintaining a sense of individual garden style. In Salt Lake City they have a permanent gardeners/homeowners resource centre set up for new homeowners to find out how best to garden in a dry climate with display gardens and watering tips. That was brilliant.
After Salt Lake City, I took a week out to spend time with my gardening BFF Noelle Johnson, AZ Plant Lady. We had a fabulous road trip from Phoenix to Sedona. This was a fascinating few days with unexpected landscapes at every turn. We took a very close look at the way they crafted beautiful container plants as well as admiring the landscape and the forest (yes! they have deep green forest very close to Sedona).
Returning to Perth right into the middle of Spring was nuts with four large garden renovations and a brand new garden to install-all before Christmas as well as our regular maintenance portfolio, me working at the Garden Centre, a fun session with Rae and Faye on Curtin FM’s ‘Let’s Talk Gardening’ and my family commitments, so I’m sorry I haven’t been on the job with the blog.
This year, I have decided to start a new concept which I hope will be of help to all of you gardeners out there.
This Week In The Garden, I am…
Let’s start by saying that in Perth we have been pretty lucky with what feels like a mild summer, despite some days over 40 at the end of November we have been spared.
This Week In The Garden, I am….Applying Wetting Agent
What’s a Wetting Agent?
This is a commercially available product that you can apply to your soil either as a liquid or a granular product which allows the water to penetrate through the soil and soak into the root zone of your precious plants.
Why Do We need a Wetting Agent?
We need to apply a wetting agent in our West Australian gardens because for the most part our ancient soil is very sandy and each particle of sand is very shiny. The wetting agents interrupt that shininess, making the grains of sand a little rough so to speak and allow the water to penetrate through to where your plants need it rather than pooling on the top, which is when your soil is known as “hydrophobic”.
Which Wetting Agent is Best For Your Garden?
I use a couple of different ones, depending on my requirements. I use a liquid wetting agent if I need a fast acting product.
Here are the 3 products that I recommend:
- Ezi-Wet by Richgro
2. Grosorb by Baileys
3. Eco-Wet by OCP
All three of these products work very well if you follow the directions on the pack. Adding more than is required is a waste of your hard-earned money.
I use a Granular Wetting Agent for the lawn and garden beds, this requires a little more effort as you must water it in to activate it. It will bubble up like dishwashing liquid to let you know that the chemical process has started.
These are the two granular wetting agents that I use:
1.
2.
These both work well on lawns and garden beds but do require watering in when you apply them.
In addition, to the application of wetting agents, I highly recommend adding mature compost to your soil-healthy soil, healthy plants. There are some really great and very sophisticated mature composts on the market. Your garden will respond very well to the addition of these products and you will have a lush summer garden which will do very well on just two waterings per week.
So, this week in the garden, I am… applying wetting agent…what are you up to in your garden?
