Soils Ain’t Soils
Episode: # 29 15/12/07
Presenter: Nigel Ruck
This week Nigel visited a local soil supplier to get the low down on what is available.
Sandstone is beautiful stuff, the colours are wonderful and you can use it for all sorts of things including paving, stepping stones, walling or just as a feature in its own right.
Sand is great but you don’t want to get your sands confused because you need to make sure you have the right sand for the right job. Brickies sand is used for bricklaying; you mix it with cement to lay your bricks. Sydney sand is much the same as you would get down at the beach but it is washed and cleaned; it is used for concreting, rendering and this is the sand that is used to sweep into the gaps in your pavers. River sand is great, it can be used as a bed for your pavers, used in soils to open them up and create drainage and it is also used around agpipes in sub-surface drainage.
Pebbles are beautiful you can use them as decorative mulch, you can use them for paths or you can use them as a nice alternative to lawns. Nigel loves Cowra Gold and Nepean River Pebbles.
Plants love mulch because it helps save water by evaporation, it insulates the soil by keeping the roots cooler in summer and warmer in winter, it suppresses weeds and it looks great.
Good soil is essential because without it there is nothing for the plants to grow in. Your garden is only as good as the soil that’s in it. If you’ve got a heavy clay soil, get some organics and gypsum to open it up a bit. If you’ve got a sandy soil, pump in the organics which will give it some life. Your local landscape supplier should have a range of soil options so you can get the soil that is going to suit the plants you are going to grow. Regardless of whether you are growing vegetables, roses, natives or exotics the right soil is imperative.
Presenter: Nigel Ruck
This week Nigel visited a local soil supplier to get the low down on what is available.
Sandstone is beautiful stuff, the colours are wonderful and you can use it for all sorts of things including paving, stepping stones, walling or just as a feature in its own right.
Sand is great but you don’t want to get your sands confused because you need to make sure you have the right sand for the right job. Brickies sand is used for bricklaying; you mix it with cement to lay your bricks. Sydney sand is much the same as you would get down at the beach but it is washed and cleaned; it is used for concreting, rendering and this is the sand that is used to sweep into the gaps in your pavers. River sand is great, it can be used as a bed for your pavers, used in soils to open them up and create drainage and it is also used around agpipes in sub-surface drainage.
Pebbles are beautiful you can use them as decorative mulch, you can use them for paths or you can use them as a nice alternative to lawns. Nigel loves Cowra Gold and Nepean River Pebbles.
Plants love mulch because it helps save water by evaporation, it insulates the soil by keeping the roots cooler in summer and warmer in winter, it suppresses weeds and it looks great.
Good soil is essential because without it there is nothing for the plants to grow in. Your garden is only as good as the soil that’s in it. If you’ve got a heavy clay soil, get some organics and gypsum to open it up a bit. If you’ve got a sandy soil, pump in the organics which will give it some life. Your local landscape supplier should have a range of soil options so you can get the soil that is going to suit the plants you are going to grow. Regardless of whether you are growing vegetables, roses, natives or exotics the right soil is imperative.
AS SEEN ON 
