How to get your backyard ready for barbecue season

Celebrity gardener and Richgro Ambassador Charlie Albone shares his secrets on getting your backyard BBQ-ready.

Barefoot in the backyard is an Aussie favourite, but not when the yard is covered in weeds! Bindii is an annual Aussie weed. It establishes from seed in autumn, grows actively through winter, and flowers in spring. The trick to stopping Bindii from spreading is to spray them in winter as soon as you see them. There are a range of products making it easy to get these under control, like Richgro Bindii and Weedkiller for lawns.

Learn more about how to kill lawn weeds.

Using plants in pots is a great way to give your yard a face-lift without breaking the bank. You can use pots to section off areas, add to feature walls, and brighten up the space.

Once you’ve chosen your pots and what you want to grow, there are a few things to keep in mind. Consider using liquid fertilisers as they are ideal for potted plants and are absorbed very quickly by the plants, assisting with immediate and consistent growth.

Choose one appropriate for your type of potted plant whether it be flowers, vegetables or fruit and use according to label directions. Watering pot plants can be difficult, as the water often runs over the edge of the pot and down between the container and soil, not getting into the plants’ roots. Add a soil soaker such as Richgro EZI-WET soil soaker to improve water penetration and allow the water to soak through.

For maintenance, inspect your plants to make sure they are disease-free, use a quality potting mix and clean pots. It is also important to keep a regular fertilising and watering program to ensure indoor and outdoor potted plants stay healthy.

Check out these four quick and easy potted plant projects.

A strong healthy lawn resists disease, insect attacks, moss and weeds more effectively. A regular feeding program will keep your lawn lush and green all year.

Lawns are very fast growing in summer and need food to remain strong and healthy. Typically a well maintained lawn should only require an application of 12mm of water twice a week . The best time of the day to water is early morning before the heat of the day.

Brown patches on Aussie lawns are common, and it isn’t just because of a lack of rain or walking on the grass too often. The most common reason being the lack of water penetration into the root zone of the lawn. This is usually caused by a build-up of thatch in the lawn and is best treated by a dethatching and application of a soil wetter. To see if your lawn is water repellent, run the hose on the lawn for about a minute and see if the water runs off or into the lawn, if the water runs off it, treat with a good soil wetting agent like Richgro EZI-WET soil wetter. If the water runs into the lawn, the brown patch may be caused by lawn grub or black beetle lava that eats the root system of the lawn. To prove this, run your garden hose onto the lawn until it is flooded, leave for thirty minutes or so and then see if grubs or beetles have surfaced. If so, treat with Richgro Lawn Beetle and Grub Killa, for best results use with EZI-WET soil wetter as the application of a soil wetter will ensure the compounds are washed down to the root zone where the grubs and beetles are present.

Learn 12 things you should never do to your lawn.

Lighting can make or break a space, and is such a cheap and easy addition to an outdoor space. Using fairy lights or large feature lights will instantly add atmosphere and life to your backyard and also ensure it is safer to enjoy at all hours of the day.

Check out our homeowner’s guide to the best outdoor lighting.

If you want company while you cook, give your guests what they’re looking for. Some cushioned seating, a drink holder, some cool music and somewhere to put their feet up is going to make a world of difference. You can relax knowing your guests are comfortable so you can focus on not burning the meat!

And to remove all doubt, check out our ultimate guide to cooking on the barbecue.

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