Garden Checklist – 11 Jobs to Get Ready for Spring

Control Your Weeds

Winter is a great time to prepare your garden for spring. While things are still fairly slow outside plant, sow, weed and prune before busy months ahead get on top of you.

Dig out weeds after rain to make the job easier. Use a weeding fork to ease out weeds and their roots in lawns and in between plants and pavers. If you have left it too late and there are already seeds on weedy plants, snip them off and put them in the garbage. For hard to control weeds such as onion weed and oxalis it might be necessary to use a targeted herbicide and spray an a still day to avoid any drift.

Snip for Better Growth

Finish pruning roses in August by first cutting out any dead or diseased growth with clean and sharp secateurs or a pruning saw for large branches. Start removing growth in the centre of the bush to improve air circulation. Finally reduce long branches by about one third to half. Look for an outward facing bud and cut just above it at a slight angle.

Re-pot Plants

Plants that have been in the same pot for a long period can start suffering if they have outgrown their pot or the potting mix has used up all its nutrients. Ease the plant out of its pot and remove one third of the root ball with a sharp knife. Cut off any roots that are growing in a circular pattern and gently untangle small roots with your fingers. Repot into a slightly larger container filling with fresh potting mix and firming the plant in. Water thoroughly and feed with a liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks.

Create a Tough Turf

Use a garden fork to push holes into your lawn about 50mm deep at 100mm intervals. Spread a thin layer of top soil evenly over the aerated lawn and water enough that the top dressing fills in the holes. For larger areas of turf you can hire a spiked lawn aerator that you fill with water and push to create air holes then follow the same directions as above.

Grow Some Fruit Trees

What better way to enjoy fruit than freshly picked off the tree with no pesticides and no cold storage. Buy deciduous trees now and plant in a hole twice the width of the pot and the same depth. Remove the plant from the pot and lightly tease out the roots on the side. Pop it in the hole and fill in with soil making sure there are no air pockets. Firm down, sprinkle a slow release fertiliser over the soil and water well. Home Buyers South Carolina

Ban Bindi

Avoid the summer sting of bindii by spraying your lawn with a product like Yates Weed ‘n’ Feed to kill the bindii and fertiliser the turf. If you leave it too long the weed becomes prickly and is spread even wider to cause bigger head aches (and foot aches) for next summer.

Plant Lots of Leaves

Plant lettuce and rocket seedlings straight into garden beds and sow tomato seeds in a mini greenhouse to have a home-grown salad ready to harvest for the lunch table in spring.

Make Healthy Soil

Test the pH of your soil to see if it needs any nutrients added for healthy plant growth. A pH of 7 is neutral, 1 is very acid and 14 is very alkaline. Kits are available from most nurseries and hardware stores. Follow the directions and test samples from different areas of your garden. Add compost or manure to make the soil more acid and garden lime to create a more alkaline soil.

Feed Hungry Citrus

Feed citrus trees in pots and the ground with a complete fertiliser to encourage juicy fruit. Remove any weeds or grass growing around the roots of your citrus plants then sprinkle over the fertiliser and water well. Add a 70-100mm layer of mulch to keep the moisture in but keep it away from the trunk of the tree to avoid rot.

Keep Pests Away

Spray stone fruit trees like peaches, plums and apricots with lime sulfur after pruning. This will kill any pests hiding in any cracks or crevices in winter that can become a problem in spring. It also helps control peach leaf curl which is a common problem with many peach trees.

Fertilize for Flowers

As soon as temperatures are steadily rising feed popular plants like gardenia, murraya, and hydrangea with a fertiliser including flower food. This helps to encourage more flowers and healthy leaf growth. Don’t forget to water in well and water regularly if there is little rainfall.

5 Ways to Improve your Home’s Facade

Property buyers are a fickle bunch, as many of the conclusions they draw about homes are made within a couple of minutes according to the Property Institute of Australia. So making the best first impression is critical. But it doesn’t need to cost a foturneā€¦.here are some cheap and easy ways you can improve your facade.

5 Ways to Improve your Home’s Facade

Making a great first impression

Understanding Buyer Rationale

Property buyers are a fickle bunch, as many of the conclusions they draw about homes are made within a couple of minutes according to the Property Institute of America.

As the old adage states, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Behind closed doors, your abode could be the most beautiful piece of real estate in America. However, if it doesn’t have curbside appeal then it’ll likely lack interest from buyers. Home Buyers South Carolina

Moral of the story? Spending the time to ensure your home’s facade is attractive can help you stand out from the crowd and sell your home!

Here are five cheap and easy ways you can make the face of your home more alluring to buyers and spectators on the street.

Give it a Spring Clean

No doubt the interior of your home is spick and span in preparation for the market, why should the facade be any different?

This means it’s time to finally part with the children’s mini playground, the dated bird bath and the somewhat mouldy couch that has held residence on your porch for years.

The tidier the front of your home looks the better – even the removal of any footwear from the front door can make a difference.

Take it Through the Home Wash

With the front of your home now neat and orderly, you can focus on cleaning.

A cheap and effective way of washing the exterior of your home (including windows, walls and doors) often requires just a broom, garden hose and some elbow grease. Just like a car wash, your property will emerge from the brush bristles looking reborn.

You should also consider getting your gutters cleared and your roof cleaned. It’s a good idea to use a professional for this job, as they can do it safely and often at a reasonable price.

Do Some Landscaping

If your garden is thriving, but with weeds, it’s a good idea to pull them out and start again.

Planting new and bright flowers can add some energy to the front of your home with vibrant colour. Your Investment Property asserts that spending $300 on plants can add up to $3000 to your sale price.

Bring the lawnmower out from retirement and give your lawn a tidy trim. If there are any dead or dying patches, use some fertiliser to help ensure it’s green all over.

You should also consider investing in some cheap garden solar lights to place around your front yard, as they can add pleasant glow to your landscape.

Surround Your Home with a Fence

Often fences that separate a home from the street are there for decoration rather than function, which means they can make a substantial impact on the overall appearance of your home.

You’re spending the time making your pretty as a picture, it’s important that you don’t forget to frame it. You should choose a fence that matches the style of your home, while adding to the visual appeal.

There is a number of features available regarding type, materials and colours, so there will likely be an option to suit both your property and budget.

Give it a Lick of Paint

Painting your home can make a substantial improvement to the facade. Even if you use the same colour, it’s the sparkly clean finish that makes the difference.

Complete Home claims that an average paint job for a standard three bedroom home is $1600 if you do it yourself, but can provide returns in the tens of thousands.

In case you are considering changing the pigment, make sure you stick to earthy tones as your goal should be to appeal to the masses – you don’t want to paint yourself into a select corner of the property market.

If the idea of painting your whole home seems daunting, try starting with just the trim, the fence and the front door. After all, the Australian dream is essentially made up of the house with the white picket fence and red door!