Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about our products, services, or gardening tips? You’re in the right place! Our FAQ page is designed to provide you with quick answers and helpful information to assist you on your gardening journey. If you don’t find the answers you need, feel free to reach out to our friendly team!
Why should I put mulch on my garden?
- It keeps the moisture in.
- It maintains an even soil temperature.
- It stops nutrients from washing away and blocks out the sun to prevent weed growth.
- It keeps roots cool in the heat of summer.
What depth should I put mulch on my garden?
- Mulch should be applied to a minimum depth of 50mm.
- In general, the layer of mulch should range from 50mm-100mm thick, and this may vary depending on the mulching material used.
- Make sure to keep the mulch at least 50mm-100mm away from the base of your plants and the trunks of your trees.
Weeds?
Soils Ain’t Soils take every care in the production of soils and mulches, but we cannot guarantee that they are weed free as they produced and stored in outside environments.
How do I turn my sand soil into good soil?
Soils Ain’t Soils Soil Conditioner is specially formulated to blend with the sandy soils of Perth, promoting healthy soil and encouraging vibrant plant growth.
What should I use on my lawn as it looking a bit tired?
- Lawn Blend is great for top dressing existing lawns and planting new lawn. Designed to produce thick green growth with strong root structure.
- Top dress as thinly as possible about 10mm thick. You should still be able to see bits of grass after spreading.
- Water in well immediately afterwards.
- Maintain regular and heavy watering for 10 days after top dressing.
- Fertilise at least twice a year, once at the beginning of Spring and at the beginning of Autumn.
- Fertilise more often if a lush green effect is required, but it means more mowing.
- Apply fertiliser with a spreader rather than by hand to obtain a more uniform application.
- Avoid fertilisers that contain a weed killer additive as they often have a high salt content which will damage soil microbial activity, thus affecting the soil’s structure and chemical balance.
What sand do I use under pavers?
- Any clean yellow sand will do. Most people use brickies sand under pavers (brickies sand contains clay which hardens over time and after compaction).
- Bricklaying and masonry industries use yellow brickies sand due to its higher clay content. It is easier to work with than other types of brickie’s sand. It also has water repellent properties. Another name for brickies sand is fatty sand and is mostly used in paving and other bricklaying jobs.
Do Soils Ain’t Soils deliver bulk products?
- Soils Ain’t Soils deliver anywhere and any place. (Please note that deliveries can incur an additional delivery fee regarding travel distance.).
- We can deliver 1m3 to 100,000m3. No job is too small or too big.
- Please refer to our terms and conditions for deliveries
Safe handling of potting mixes, garden soils and composts.
Potting Mixes, composts and soils can be harmful to your health if you do not take some precautions. A group of organisms, called Legionella, is found in these materials, and can cause serious illness. Legionella longdeachae is one species known to cause a type of pneumonia infection in humans. The information contained here will help you avoid the disease.
How to avoid Legionella infection?
Due to widespread use of potting mixes, soils and other garden products, there is no guaranteed way of stopping infection. However, these simple precautions should be followed when handling such materials:
- open bags of potting mix carefully and direct the opening away from the face.
- handle potting mix and compost in a well-ventilated area.
- when emptying bags of potting mix and applying compost, avoid shaking the bag and keep the product close to the ground.
- When handling potting mix and compost:
– wear gloves.
– avoid touching your face.
– Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water:
a) after handling potting mix and compost
b) after removing gloves. - Store bagged potting mix in a cool, dry place and out of direct sunlight.
- Clean and cover cuts, abrasions, and other non-intact skin with a dry dressing.
- Wash work clothes regularly.
- Read the warning label on commercial potting mixes and follow the manufacturer’ instructions. (Taken from WA and Qld work safe web sites)
What is the pH?
- The letters pH stands for potential of hydrogen.
Soil acidity and alkalinity are measured against the pH scale which runs from 1 – 14. - Most garden soils are within the range from 4-9. the neutral point of the scale is 7.
- Readings below 7 denote acidic soil, while readings above 7 denote alkaline soil.
- Many plants in WA thrive in a slightly acidic soil pH reading between 6-7.
- All our soil mixes are blended to suit specific plants groups.
- Purchasing the correct soil type will ensure a good healthy garden. It is not so much the current pH of the soil, but many other contributing factors that will decide what the pH of a soil will be in the garden.
A summary of these are:
- Water. As a general guide, the pH level of the water that will be applied to the soil will eventually cause the soil to adopt the same pH level.
- Fertiliser and garden insecticides. Not many people realise that every time they apply a chemical fertiliser to their garden or spray a week killer or an insect spray or even snail pallets to their gardens, that they are also creating a chemical reaction in the soil itself that will also alter the pH of the soil.
- Organic fertilisers and organic matter. The addition of organic fertilisers or organic matter will also affect the pH of the soil e.g. Chicken manure is highly alkaline, Peat is strongly acidic. Organic matter is a collective name for any material of organic origin that can be incorporated into the soil, which is then broken down by natural processes in the soil itself e.g. by plants as they grow and by strong sunlight. The addition of organic fertiliser of organic matter to the soil is beneficial at any time as it is always breaking down and constantly requires replenishing to maintain a good healthy and active soil. However, incorrect applications can cause severe problems in your soil for example, the application of chicken manure to a soil that was alkaline would compound the soil alkalinity to a point where over time the nutrients in the soil would not be available to the plants.
- Based on this information the average home gardener does not need to be concerned like a nursery with the fine tuning of the soil. Simply, the home gardener needs to purchase a quality blended soil or conditioner with the correct nutrition and pH requirements for the type of garden being established.
