A zone is an area that is different to another area. For example, a soccer field or netball court can be divided into different areas where only some people can go. Your school might have zones as well – the playground, the sports field and the undercover area. All of these areas are used in…
A weed is a plant that is growing where it’s not wanted! In most cases, garden weeds grow from seed that has blown into the garden or has been transported by birds and insects. Sometimes weeds such as couch grass creep into the garden and although it might be fine when it’s lawn, when it…
Potted plants can only get the water that’s in their pot so if it dries out, they will also dry out. But, sometimes too much water is worse for plants than not enough. The trick to testing whether potted plants need watering is easy. Simply poke your finger into the soil! If it feels cold…
Water is one of the most important resources on the planet and we have to be very careful not to waste it because we need it to drink, to keep our environment clean, to build things and to grow things. Plants need water just as much as we do and even though we have to…
Weeds in the garden are a nuisance. They steal nutrients and water from the other plants, attract bad bugs into the garden and sometimes smother everything. Once you have weeds in the garden, you have to start ‘weeding’ regularly to stop them from taking over. There are a two ways that you can get rid…
One year of seeds brings seven years of weeds! Have a think about what that sentence means? Can you figure it out? It means that if for just one year you let the weeds in your garden get big enough to produce flowers that release seeds, there will be enough seeds in your garden to…
Gardeners apply a wetting agent, sometimes called a soil wetter, to the garden to make sure that the water from the sprinklers and the rain soaks right down into the soil. Over time, the soil in the garden or in pots becomes ‘hydrophobic‘ which means that the water won’t soak into it. If this happens,…
Controlled release fertiliser are tiny granules called prills that are packed with food for plants which they release gradually over a long length of time. They are really useful when gardening because they can be applied to a pot or a garden and feed the plants for between 3 and 6 months. A prill of…
Vegetables, herbs and flowers are almost all annuals which means that they grow very fast but for just one season. But, the faster they grow the more they need to be fed! In gardening, feeding plants is called fertilising. To fertilise plants we use fertiliser which has lots of nutrients in them. Liquid fertiliser is…
Australia is a hot, dry country so we tend to use a lot of water and because it is a precious resource that we need to look after, many state governments have water restrictions. AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY During spring, summer and autumn, gardeners in the ACT can use sprinklers between 6pm and 9am on any…