High quality wetting agents are a super power for WA lawn and garden lovers. If you want to see and understand how these products work, this video is for you:

A high quality wetting agent is essential if you are looking to make the most of the water you put on your lawns and gardens. If you can’t find Ralphy’s Refresh, look for a product that has both a penetrant and a retainer; that way you know the product will get the water down to the root zone and it will help keep it in the root zone for longer.

Where to buy?

Click here to purchase this product

More info on Ralphy’s Refresh

Ralphy’s Refresh is formulated by SACOA especially for Ralphy’s Lawn and Garden Supplies. Refresh is a 3-way action wetting agent which is formulated to suit Western Australia’s harsher climates and watering conditions. Furthermore, Refresh has been formulated to not only break through hydrophobic soils but also retain water in the soil for longer periods.

Key features

1. Maximises water and nutrient efficacy in all soil types, especially hydrophobic (non-wetting) soils
2. 3-way action – penetrant, attraction and retention components
3. Very high-quality retention agent with very strong retention capabilities
4. Has a low viscosity and is easy to mix
5. Promotes root growth and maximising the plant’s utilisation of nutrients
6. For use in all turf, nurseries and home garden situations
7. Easy to mix and apply and is safe for the environment
8. Will reduce the frequency of irrigation and hand watering to combat the issues of water loss

Application rates

For turf applications, apply 50-100mls per 100sqm monthly or as required. If you haven’t used a wetting agent previously or the soil is very sandy, we recommend an initial application rate of 100mls per 100sqm.

For garden applications, apply 35-50mls per 9L watering can over 3 to 5m2 and apply every 6 to 8 weeks

*Do not leave on the leaf if temperatures are or are expected to exceed 30 degrees celsius*

Mixing and Capabilities

Mixes readily with water. Add the required amount of Refresh to the desired amount of water and gently mix.

Refresh is compatible with most other treatments, however, conducting a jar test prior to application is advised.

The post The power of quality wetting agents appeared first on Silverstone Gardening.

On the 1st of September 2022, WA bore users will have their watering days reduced from three days per week to two days per week. Is a 33% drop in water usage a huge mathematical reduction? Yes. However, will that drop in water use negatively affect the health and quality of your lawn? Not if you are smart about it.
Here are 4 reasons why the WA ‘bore ban’ will not hurt smart lawn lovers and 5 examples to give you hope for the coming summer.

1. Wetting agents make a bigger difference than most people think (up to 20%)

In 2016, trials in WA conditions showed that using wetting agents can significantly improve soil moisture by 19.9% five weeks after application. Wetting agent producer SACOA (the makers of BioWett, Ralphy’s Refresh and more) released these figures on their website.

The reality is that it doesn’t matter how much water you put on your lawn. What truly matters is how much of that water actually makes it down to the root zone where it is needed.

There are many WA homeowners who will be shocked to find out just how much of the water they put on their lawn is being lost to evaporation and run-off. In most cases, the regular use of a quality wetting agent alone could make such a positive difference that a third watering day would not be missed.

2. Regular aeration makes your roots go deeper

Aeration reduces soil compaction. This, in return, increases water and nutrient uptake into the soil (10-30%). In addition, a huge benefit to reducing soil compaction is an increased root system.

In 2013, researchers showed that the harder a soil is to penetrate (caused by soil compaction), the less roots there will be.

Deeper roots means there is more water and nutrient uptake. I believe that many lawn lovers in WA will get a more beautiful lawn from two days watering with aeration and wetting agents than three days of bore watering only.

3. Quality fertilisers increase root growth

Urea and other nitrogen-only fertilisers are overused in lawn care. Whilst they cause beautiful green colour and increase leaf growth, they have no benefit at all for the roots or the stress-tolerance of your lawn.

Complete, high quality fertilisers (like WA-produced Baileys and Eco Growth) have a balanced blend of macro and micro nutrients that will help your lawn grow healthier, not just greener. The results of regularly using these high quality products will be a more drought and stress-tolerant lawn, even with reduced watering days.

4. Less frequent, more effective watering produces healthier roots and a more drought-tolerant lawn

The more frequently a lawn is watered, the less need there is for the lawn to send down roots deeper into the soil. This results in a shallow root system.

The more shallow the roots, the more susceptible the lawn is to heat and drought stress. This is because soil on or close to the surface is more likely to experience evaporation, temperature change and drying out.

Consequently, the roots in these surface areas are more likely to become stressed and damaged. If too many roots are in these areas, the result will be a stressed or even dying lawn.

Deeper roots are shielded from these problems; this results in healthier, happier lawns during hot spells.

5 examples of great lawns on two watering days a week

I wanted to finish by giving some hope to WA residents. Whilst we could write about lawn care for days and explain the pros and cons of each service, I thought it would be simpler to just show the results.

Here are five lawns. Kikuyu, Couch and Buffalo lawns to show that success isn’t grass specific. All these lawns are on two days a week watering, these photos have been taking between October and May not during the winter months. All of these lawns are maintained by Silverstone Gardening and have received all the services mentioned above. The results speak for themselves.

There will be some WA gardeners who will be hurt by this decision but it won’t be the smart and proactive lawn lovers.

If reading this article seemed like too much effort, too complicated or you just want some help, contact us today.

Click here to find out what our clients have to say about Silverstone Gardening!

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The post The data-driven reasons why the WA ‘bore ban’ will not hurt smart lawn lovers appeared first on Silverstone Gardening.