Chris the Garden Man

13/11/2025

Ride On Mowing, Residential, Farm and Commercial. Fully equipped and insured Free quotes ABN
Call on 0435 491 199

23/10/2025

A little bit of Potscaping....

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas. Be happy and safe.

20/08/2023

09/04/2023

Another nice Ride On job done for Easter

09/04/2023

Happy Easter!

27/11/2022

Ride On mowing for a new client Horse Trainer at Pakenham Racecourse. Bought a 54v Line Trimmer to trim around the Stables as expensive horse flesh doesn't need to be startled by loud petrol driven gear.

27/11/2022

Half yearly hedge and prune for a Corporate client in Narre Warren today. I did the mowing, both Rotary and Ride On, yesterday

23/11/2022

*Tips for roses* Depending on climate conditions, the big spring flush of rose blooming continues. Oh how we love it! 🌹

Remove faded flowers and dead-head. Fertilising soon after the spring crop of blooms will give good roses again at about Christmas time.

Reddish-green basal shoots may increase in numbers and can be staked. Keep monitoring for fungal diseases, thrips, and two-spotted mite.

Although roses don’t like having wet feet, they do need water to grow and flourish. The best advice is to water longer, less often. Water deeply twice a week throughout summer, and less often during the cooler months. Always water the soil and not the leaves of your roses and water in the morning wherever possible when the humidity is lower. Wet foliage can encourage fungal diseases like black spot and powdery mildew.

Your roses will benefit from light pruning throughout the year in addition to a hard prune in winter. Remove spent flower stems and cut back all rampant branches to an outward facing bud. There’s no need to wait until the winter prune to remove tangled stems and diseased branches. Regular clean-ups will keep your roses healthy and tidy.

*Image: Rose ‘Jude the Obscure’

23/11/2022

How to grow coriander.🌿

🌿 This herb is so temperamental and doesn't like really hot weather, or really cold weather or root disturbance.

🌿 The only success I have had with transplanting seedlings from the nursery is when they are super small and in individual cells. Then you can slide them out and slot them straight in the soil without touching the root system.

🌿 My preferred way to grow coriander is to direct sow clumps. I have a little cage that keeps birds off and shows me where I put the seeds. Water it every day and wait for germination.

🌿 Repeat the process every month and you'll have a continual supply.

🌿 Liquid feed it every 2 weeks and don't expect to it to grow any longer than 2 or 3 months.

23/11/2022

Love this 🍎 🍏

In Norway, when people see that there is an excess of apples on their trees, they do this kind of action so others can pick them and consume them instead of rotting on the ground. Beautiful 👏👏

12/07/2022

How to Fix Tyre Marks in Lawns

Do you have unattractive tyre marks in your lawn? In this blog, we look at a few methods you can use to help repair these, plus tips on how to avoid ruts from occurring.

What causes tyre marks or ruts?

Ruts can occur when objects like cars, motorbikes and even the kids’ bikes move over grass with saturated soil. When this happens, the soil can often sink and become compacted, creating divots.

Assessing the damage

The first step is to assess the damage. Are the ruts only shallow (up to 10 cm deep) or deep (over 10cm deep)? After you have determined this, we can look at the best way to repair it.

Small ruts

Small ruts up to 10cm deep can be fixed by loosening up the soil base below the lawn.

To do this, use a garden fork and insert it underneath the rut. Then pull the fork down, lifting the turf back up. It is best to lift the affected turf a few cm above the unaffected turf so it can level out over the coming days. Continue to do this around the affected area.

Big ruts

For larger ruts there are a few extra simple steps to follow.

Firstly, use a spade to cut 3 sides along the rut. Then lift and fold the grass over so you can access to the soil underneath the rut. Then use a garden fork or your spade to loosen up the soil underneath. If your soil is not level after this, bring in some sandy loam or turf underlay to bring the soils level back up. Then you can fold your turf back onto the soil and let it grow back in

If the turf in the rut is badly damaged, you may want to look at using a few turf rolls from your local turf supplier. When doing this, it is best to use the same variety as your existing lawn. Cut the turf to the required size and lay it over the prepared soil.

After repairing your rut, it is important to keep traffic in the affected area to a minimum while the grass is repairing itself and irrigate regularly. In winter, most warm season grasses like buffalo, couch, kikuyu and zoysia will need the warmer temperatures in spring to start repairing. In spring, you can also give these areas a fertilise to help promote extra growth.