Those of us who live in Perth know very well the meaning of hot and dry. Furthermore, those of us who fall within the spectrum of house proud and avid gardener, have to deal with the added difficulty of keeping our gardens alive and healthy through the summer. And yet it is possible. Any stroll through the neighbourhood reveals the odd garden looking beautiful and lush, like an oasis amid the rest of the street whose gardens sport brown, uninviting lawns.

See how an IrriGator unit was used together with a drip setup in order to take care of a freshly planted vegetable garden. The tap timer ensures that the garden is frequently watered, whilst the GelBlock ensured that in addition to water, all the plants receive vital nutrients, micro-nutrients, trace elements and bio-stimulants. The water and nutrient carrying capacity of the soil was greatly improved, thus the plants had excellent growth, vibrancy and ability to endure stress.

See how an IrriGator unit was used together with a drip setup in order to take care of a freshly planted herb garden. A tap timer ensured that the herbs were frequently watered, whilst the GelBlock ensured that in addition to water, all the plants receive vital nutrients, micro-nutrients, trace elements and bio-stimulants. The water and nutrient carrying capacity of the soil was greatly improved, thus the plants had excellent growth, vibrancy and ability to endure stress.

Those of us who live in Perth know very well the meaning of hot and dry. Furthermore, those of us who fall within the spectrum of house proud and avid gardener, have to deal with the added difficulty of keeping our gardens alive and healthy through the summer. And yet it is possible. Any stroll through the neighbourhood reveals the odd garden looking beautiful and lush, like an oasis amid the rest of the street whose gardens sport brown, uninviting lawns. So what can we do to avoid a scorched lawn this summer?

All plant growth originates at the roots (at the newest root tips less than 10 days old to be more specific). These root tips facilitate water and nutrient uptake, which allows hormone formation inside the plant.

The Hortico Lawn Repair seed was then spread evenly and according to instructions over the prepared bare patch. Fertilizer is included with the seed and provides support to the new lawn in becoming established.

A barrel metaphor (illustrated below) explains this point rather well. The shorter slats in the barrel (deficiencies) allow water to escape, limiting the barrels ability to store water - and so deficiencies limit a gardens ability to grow, achieve vibrancy and endure stress.

Beginning on the first day of April 2014, various 'island' areas of lawn on a verge were subjected to different treatments. This experiment concluded on the 12th of May. This verge area is not under reticulation and usually receives only rainwater. The areas were treated as follows, and Figure 1 illustrates the location of each area: