Episode: WA Garden Gurus Special - Summer Gardens
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane

Ellen brook is a classic example of our rapidly expanding suburban sprawl. By 2012 they estimate there will be a community of 30,000 people here.

Ellenbrook is unique in that it gets very cold during winter and can be scorching hot in Summer. The heat is a very dry heat sapping the soil of every bit of surface moisture which is where the majority of plants have their roots.

The houses within the estate have been built with the environment in mind but home gardeners here are dealing with one of the worlds most challenging soils recognized internationally as one of the most deficient of nutrient on earth.

So what do you do? Well there are two strategies in essence ? one is embarking on a massive soil replenishment program that entails adding copious amounts of composted organic humus into the top soil.

This requires a significant effort at first adding a huge amount of top quality soil improver like Richgro Pro Mulch to the soils surface and hoeing it in as deep as 30 to 40cm. This organic compost must continuously be added for many years to come to ensure there is a lot of goodness in the soil for plants roots to feed on and to hold moisture around them for longer during long hot dry periods.

Then when planting into the soil add water storage crystals into the base of the planting hole ? they capture moisture that would normally drain below the roots and hold it for weeks slowly releasing it. Every new plant in Perth should have these under the root ball, if we all did this as standard practice we would save hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of litres every year and have far more successful gardens.

Wetting agents should be applied at least twice yearly. Products like this allow water to soak evenly through the soil. You would think this would happen naturally but there are soil borne fungi that create dry areas within in your soil and if plants roots are growing through these they dry causing stress and the plant appears to be withering away.

The first thing most gardeners do is pour water on them which is a total waste as it runs through crevices past the drying dying roots. It?s a complete waste of water! Wetting agents wash the waxy coating away allowing water to reach drying roots.

Plant selection is always a critical factor. In Ellenbrook there are a large number of our native plant species from Perth and northern regions that look fantastic and perform beautifully.

Featured Products

Richgro Pro Mulch

• PRO MULCH has been formulated using fully composted organic materials that have been selected for their water retention capabilities. 
• It not only retains moisture and reduces evaporation but also helps control weeds.
• EZI-WET soil wetter has been included for maximum water retention.

www.richgro.com.au