Soil Mixes
Garden Soil Mix (premium)
The ideal material for building up garden beds and for use in large planter boxes. Suitable for all plants including seedlings, natives, conifers, bulbs, palms and roses. This is a blend of composted organic materials and lantana soil, providing the right balance of drainage and water holding capacity. Our mix contains some cow manure but we do recommend the addition of some form of slow release fertiliser (e.g.. Osmocote or Organic extra) after planting. This mix is designed for best results when covered with a layer of mulch ( bark, straw, chip etc.) pH is close to neutral . This product meets the Australian Standard for on slab soils.
Red Soil Mix
A more economical mix for filling garden beds that will give great results, especially with the addition of slow release fertiliser and a mulch cover. This mix is based on screened red soil, composts, coal ash and sand. It has a high organic matter component and pH is neutral to slightly acidic, making it ideal for most plants including Azaleas and Camellias, conifers and natives. This product meets the Australian Standard for garden soils.
Top Dressing Mix
A light, loam based mix containing fine compost and manure, used to top dress all lawns. This mix is easy to apply and does not crust. Top dressing is best done during the growing season after a low mowing. Apply only a light layer at a time to fill in hollows and irregularities in the lawn then screed off so that most of the foliage is visible on completion. Fertilise after top dressing and water well.
Turf Starter
A blend with the same ingredients as the top dressing mix but with a larger particle size. this makes it better for use under new turf.
T.L.C. Nursery Mix
This is the general potting mix we use in the nursery , with excellent results. It is a combination of composted materials including fine pine bark and coarse sand with good drainage and water holding capacity. Add your own Osmocote slow release fertiliser (or similar) to meet nutrient requirements.
Soil Additives
Compost
We can now offer a choice of three different composts. Our best seller is made from a combination of composted recycled plant material mixed with aged mushroom compost. This product is the ideal soil additive to improve soil structure and increase organic matter content. Spread it over cultivated soil to a depth of about 50 mm then incorporate with a rotary hoe.
Customers are often confused by the terms Compost and Mulch, believing that they may even be the same thing! They are really very different and should be used for quite different purposes in the garden:
Compost is finer particles of organic matter that have been partially decomposed. Use compost to mix with low quality soils to increase organic content, nutrition and water holding capacity.
Mulch is coarse material with larger individual particles that have not been composted. It is used only on top of the soil as a blanketing layer to stop weeds, resist erosion, hold in moisture and moderate soil temperatures.
A mulch that contains too much 'fines' (particles more like compost) does not function properly as it does not allow water to penetrate quickly and it also provides a medium for weed seeds to germinate.
Gypsum
This is a soil additive that will open up sodic clay soils, making them drain more freely and become more friable and easy to work. It is best applied at a rate of between 0.5 and I kg per square metre and mixed well into the soil ( one of our bags is enough to treat 25 square metres at the heavy application rate). Gypsum will have some effect if just spread over the surface and watered in however it is quicker acting if incorporated into the soil as suggested above.
Organic Extra fertiliser
This is a combination of chicken manure, Blood and Bone, Feather and Fish meal, natural minerals and seaweed. It is in a granular fertiliser which smells when first applied but soon loses its smell when watered in. This is an excellent organic product for use on lawns and most garden beds. ( Avoid using it on Phosphorus sensitive plants such as Proteas, Grevilleas, Banksias)
Mulches
Mulch ia a layer of usually loose, organic material placed over garden beds to protect the soil and encourage better plant growth.
Mulches do a wonderful job of retaining moisture, suppressing weed growth, moderating soil temperature and slowly add to the soils humus content. To be effective, all weeds need to be removed before applying a mulch layer. Apply to the recommended depth, which you will notice, varies with the different materials. Top up every couple of years in any areas where it is not covered by plants.
Barks
Pine Bark fines
Our fine grade pinebark is mainly used as soft fall for playgrounds. We only recommend it for gardens in small, protected areas where a "chunkier" grade would look out of scale. Min. depth=75mm.
25 mm Slash Pine Bark
This medium grade of bark looks very neat, suits most garden sizes and is easily shoveled. As with all the slash barks the colour is a rich tan, eventually fading to a soft grey/brown. It retains it's colour well and is resistant to fire and termites. Min, depth=75mm.
Budget Bark
Our ungraded and most economical slash bark. Our most popular seller. This contains from fines up to 50 mm pieces. Looks good on large beds and holds the best in strong wind areas. Min. depth=75mm.
25 mm Hoop Pine Bark
From the native Hoop Pine, this bark looks quite rugged. It suits native gardens and is the best choice for sloping sites as it knits into itself and clings well to a slope of up to 40 degrees. Min. depth=100mm.
Woodchips
Cypress Pine Woodchip
Chips of pine timber with a light honey colour which can brighten up areas near dark coloured buildings. This mulch lasts well and is economical for large areas. It is also very suitable for informal pathways through a garden. Min depth=75mm.
Forest Mulch
This is a blend of chipped leaves, twigs and timber that has been partially composted to kill seeds and pathogens. An economical mulch especially for larger gardens and a "native" look. Avoid use against buildings however as this product is not resistant to white ants. Min depth = 100mm.
"Straw" type Mulches
Lucerne Mulch
This Mulch is available as bagged product only. It is a finely chopped, quality Lucerne (grown organically and free of weed and seed). Not only does it have excellent physical properties as a mulch but it is also a rich source of plant nutrients including Nitrogen (3.5 to 5%), Phosphorous, Potassium, Sulphur, Calcium and Magnesium. An excellent product to improve the quality of poor soils, it will increase earthworm activity and can be used repeatedly without causing imbalances in soil chemistry.
Sugar Cane Mulch
Longer lasting than other straw, this product does not carry any seed. It is ideal for planting around new annuals, perennials and vegetables, giving all the benefits of mulching mentioned above, as well as keeping plants clean and free from soil splash. This product will hold well in the wind and on a slope if it is applied to a good depth and saturated with water as soon as it is put in place. We are getting good feedback regarding increased worm populations under this mulch. Min. depth=100mm.
Pebbles
River pebbles can also be used as a mulch. They are not organic so they provide no soil improvement like those mentioned above however they do have other advantages worth considering. They are colourfast and will not fade over time. They last forever (well almost). Pebbles are the heaviest mulch in high wind areas, they will not float away if water flows over the garden and they will definitely not burn (a consideration if you are in a high fire risk area).
Remember that children love to play in and throw pebbles, so this may be a disadvantage.
You will need a layer of weed control mat under your pebbles to stop them mixing with the soil. Weed Control Mat is a woven plastic fabric that lets the air and water penetrate through to the soil. It is purchased off the roll and is 1.8m wide. Consider pebbles as an alternative mulch, if not for whole areas, then perhaps as part of a larger mulched area where their benefits can be used to best advantage. For example as a dry creek bed through a large expanse of bark mulch to carry away excess storm water.