Answers to your Questions
Barks And Mulches
Mulch and bark are any form of organic matter that is used as a barrier between the atmosphere and the soil. The four main reasons why you should mulch or bark your gardens are:
To control the moisture: If you don’t cover your soil the sun will dry out the top 100mm of the soil very quickly. In some situations the soil can set hard and actually become impenetrable with water, which will put your plants under stress. By mulching it will save you money on your water bill too. The mulch helps prevent water evaporation and therefore you won’t have to water your plants as often.
Prevent weeds: By having a layer of mulch (minimum 100mm) over the top of your garden, this will stop weeds from being able to germinate. To also help prevent weeds you can place Weed Control Mat or Bidim between the soil and mulch. This still allows water penetration but will help prevent weeds from growing.
Moderate the temperature: Our Queensland sun will cause an un-mulched garden to absorb a considerable amount of heat. This will cause damage to the root base of the plants. In areas that do experience frost in winter, mulching the garden acts like a blanket and will help the plants survive through this cold time.
Decomposing to replace the organic matter: As the mulch decomposes and breaks down, it adds nutrients to the soil.
All mulch and bark will do the same job if you put it on your garden a minimum of 100mm thick. Your decision should be more based on the texture of the bark or mulch, the colour, the size and what price suits yours budget.
One cubic meter of mulch will cover an area of ten square meters at 100mm thick. This will give you a rough idea on how much mulch or bark you will need.
Sapar Landscaping Supplies suggests using Weed Control Mat or Bidim. If you use black plastic it will prevent water getting through to the soil.
All of the staff at Sapar Landscaping Supplies are trained to help you with your decision, and to help you work out how much you need so feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call today.
Concrete Blends and Drainage Gravels
The most common use for drainage gravel is to divert water around or away from your house and behind retaining walls. Trenches are commonly dug under lawns or gardens and filled with drainage gravel to help prevent these areas becoming water logged. There are various different sizes available. The larger the rock used, the greater the flow of water through the drainage gravel. You can use drainage gravel or as a cheaper option you can use recycled concrete. The recycled concrete is lighter and cheaper and does the same job.
Concrete blend is a combination of sand and drainage gravel specially designed for concreting. At Sapar Landscaping Supplies, we have two different size rocks mixed with the sand: 10mm and 20mm. Both are capable of doing any concreting job you need it for but there are two main differences. The 20mm blend is stronger and we suggest using this for post holes and footings. The 10mm blend gives a smoother finish and is better for paths and curbing. With concrete you must always allow for a small amount of shrinkage. When working out your calculations you need to allow for 10% extra product for shrinkage.
Decorative Gravels, Rocks and Boulders
All decorative rocks and gravels are a very low maintenance, long lasting and one of the most economical ways to finish a large area. Here at Sapar Landscaping Supplies, we have a large range of decorative gravels, rocks and boulders that are sold in bulk and 20kg bags. Choosing the right decorative rock for your project all comes down to colour, size, and budget. Our bulk products are not safe for fish tanks but we do have 20kg imported pebbles in store that are safe to put in your fish tanks.
One cubic meter of rocks at 50mm thick will cover an area of twenty square meters. This will give you a rough idea on how much you will need. If you need help on working out how much you will need to decorate your garden feel free to contact us on email, via phone or come in and see one of our friendly staff.
With boulders, it is always good to come into one of our depots and check what sizes we have available. They are a natural product. Size and colour can vary from each load.
Weed control mat is the best option for underneath rocks. If you use black plastic water can’t drain through and pools can form underneath your rocks.
Turf
We receive our turf later Friday afternoon. You can pre-order any amount during the week for collection after the turf arrives. If you have pre-ordered we will call you once the turf is available. We require payment for anything over 25 slabs pre-ordered.
Sir Walter Buffalo is a special order only product. You need to place you order by Wednesday at 5pm for collection or delivery the following weekend. All Sir Walter Buffalo needs to be paid for when ordered.
For any other questions or queries please see a staff member or call one of our depots.
STEP 1:
CREATE A BLANK CANVAS
Remove all rocks, sticks, weeds and rubbish. If you have a large weed problem spray with a glyphosphate weed killer such as Dead Weed or Kamba M. (We sell both of these).
STEP 2:
REPLACE, REPLENISH AND/OR PREPARE THE SOIL
Here you add a 5cm layer of Under Turf soil. This will help level the existing ground and introduce fresh new organics to help establish your new turf. If you don’t want to do this you can rake through the top of your existing soil to loosen it up. This will help establish the new lawn.
STEP 3:
LAYING YOUR NEW LAWN
Once you have leveled your soil you have the option to put a starter fertiliser on top of your soil. This is not necessary but helps establish the turf faster and gives it a boost. Starting from a straight edge, lay each piece of turf in a staggered brick like pattern. This helps ensure full coverage and less holes. Once the turf is laid, cut in the edges around any curves or odd shapes.
STEP 4:
ESTABLISHING YOUR NEW LAWN
Water your turf immediately after laying it. The turf needs to have enough water to make the soil underneath wet. Frequent watering is important to establish your new lawn. Start off with watering twice a day for the first two weeks. If the roots are growing well, water once a day for 2-4 weeks. It is best to water very early in the morning or later in the afternoon to help reduce evaporation. For the first mow don’t put it off for too long. Simply put, if your lawn looks like it needs a mow, mow it.
1. Mow your lawn regularly.
2. Water your lawn frequently.
3. Fertilise your lawn seasonally.
4. Inspect your lawn often.
5. Take control of weeds/pests at first sight.