Handyman Sydney

Home Improvement, Home Repair And Home Renovation

Start Your Own Compost Bin

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Photo: birdsandblooms.com

Starting your own compost heap uses up very little space or time and reward you with ample hygienic, useful humus to nourish your garden or vegetable plot. The heap can be set up in any out-of-the-way corner.

A bin is neater than an open heap and there are a number of commercially-made bins you can buy in sizes to suit your garden.

The main requirements are:

  • It must keep the compost ingredients together. Ideally without seepage of odors or liquid.
  • It must allow ventilation.
  • It should harmonize with the garden.

Nearly all garden and household waste is suitable such as vacuum cleaner contents, rags, tea leaves, food scraps, fat and vegetable wastes and all normal garden refuse such as grass cuttings, leaves, wood, straw and organic waste. As one maker of compost bins expresses it “what you don’t eat feeds what you eat”.

Ideally you need a mixture of matter that decomposes rapidly blended with slower to decompose materials. If using grass clippings only, the pile would have to be turned every 2 or 3 days with a fork and watered after each turning so the anaerobic bacteria have a chance to work. Instead of turning, you can mix different layers of materials such as clippings, leaves, food waste, etc, to ensure good aeration throughout the heap.

To make the compost bin.

  • Site the bin in a convenient, reasonably sunny location.
  • Fork the ground underneath the bin for easy entry of earthworms and soil organisms.
  • Pack in the first layer of about 20 mm of organic matter.
  • Sprinkle each layer with a handful of lime or dolomite to reduce acidity, then blood and bone to activate conversion. Cover with about 25 mm of soil.
  • Repeat until bin is full. It will reduce in volume gradually as it changes into compost so continue adding material to top it up until the bin is full of compost. When the bin is full, leave 10 to 12 weeks to mature. If too dry at times, sprinkle with water to dampen.

When the compost resembles peat moss, it is ready to mix in with the topsoil of your garden.

Note: do not place materials such as glass or plastic, coal or ashes in your bin.

Diseased plants or perennial weeds should be burnt.
Materials you’ll need:

  • Compost bin
  • Assorted organic waste material
  • Soil
  • Lime or dolomite
  • Blood and bone

Tools you’ll need:

  • Spade Garden fork
  • Hose or watering can

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Lawn Maintenance and Garden Structures Tips

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The garden shed has certainly come a long way. From being only a storage centre, and not a very glamorous one at that, a new breed has emerged. These good-looking steel or aluminium buildings are suitable for pool storage and as dressing sheds; for hobby workshops, and secure storage for all the accessories related to home and garden care.

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Photo : opengarden.org.au

First, decide what purpose you have in mind for the building. This will help decide the size you need and the type of building. For example, a storage shed could do without windows, which are usually an optional extra. You may not even feel a proper floor is necessary, although it is probably a good idea. However, if the building is to be your workshop then you should look at the accessories available such as pre-painted steel floors, adjustable shelving and hopper windows. The keen gardener has, if anything, even more choice available. Greenhouse conditions can be created on whatever scale you require. The simplest may be a frame covered in shade cloth purchased by the metre. Elaborate hothouses can also be bought in kit form, usually comprising a quick-assembly frame and cover, which drapes and fastens over the frame. Whatever your choice of building, council permission should be obtained to erect it. Many councils have regulations regarding permissible height, positioning and even building materials which may be used in their municipality.

Points to keep in mind when deciding on a suitable garden structure are:

1. Location of the building. It should not be in an unsightly position, but should still have easy access both for yourself and for getting contents in and out. 2. Drainage – the building should not be in a depression where run-off from the house or pool can flood or float it. If possible, site the building on a slight rise. 3. Make sure the building will be large and roomy enough to fulfil its desired function. There is little use selecting a workshop then finding when you and the workbench are inside, one of you has to leave!

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Aussie Lawn Mower Care Guide

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Photo : couriermail.com.au

Once upon a time you couldn’t mow wet grass, or grass on slopes or under bushes. Now there are power mowers that do all these things with much less work than before.

When shopping for a power mower make sure it has the horsepower and cutting width for your needs without being larger and more powerful than you can really use. For example, a ride-on mower only comes into its own in a large area or in gardens where snow accumulates.

A self-propelled mower is one where the engine drives the mower and also the wheels so you only have to steer it. These are suitable for large areas and sloping gardens where pushing a mower uphill alone would be difficult.

Mulching mowers.

These mowers cut grass clippings so finely (around 6cm in length) that the particles decompose into humus or mulch, fertilising the lawn each time you mow. These mowers have multi-pitch blades, which, in effect, cut the grass once as usual, then suck the clippings upwards and cut them again while still airborne until the clippings which fall back are shredded to minute particles.

Reel mowers.

Although perhaps not as versatile as the rotary mowers, this type has blades which work in a scissor-like way, giving a very fine, bowling green, type of finish.

MOWER MAINTENANCE:

Sharp mower blades are essential for effective mowing. Nicks and cuts in the blade can often be seen where rocks and sticks have connected with the blade but these do not affect cutting ability. If the blade is not sharp, however, it mashes the grass instead of cutting, leaving a brownish tinge on the cut surface. To check the blade, first disconnect the spark plug lead and tape it out of the way to prevent accidental starting. Block the blade with a piece of wood and a G-clamp then remove it with a wrench, putting penetrating oil on the nut to loosen it. When the blade is free, file it smooth and balance the blade by filing extra off the heavy side, Rest the blade on a pencil to check it is in balance.

If the blade is too worn to be sharpened, replace it with the correct mower blade. While the blade is out, clean the mower housing underneath to remove caked-on clippings.

Spark plugs. Remove the spark plugs using a spark plug wrench and check the electrodes. If they are dirty, clean with a wire brush, and blow off all residue. If they are pitted or cracked, replace with the appropriate plugs. Set the gap on the plug using a gauge, to the gap specified in your owner’s manual. Replace the plug, clean and oil the threads then hand tighten the plug. Tighten with a wrench about a third of a turn Do not over tighten.

Oil.

As with your car, a 4-stroke mower requires clean oil to run smoothly. If the oil is dirty, drain it while hot and replace with a suitable motor mower oil. While you’re at it, lubricate moving parts on top of the mower through oiler points if provided, and spray with a spray lubricant onto throttle and cable. 2-stroke mowers run on an oil-petrol mix and do not have a separate oil sump.

Air filter.

Clean the air filter with warm water and household detergent then coat with light-weight oil and squeeze out the excess. Dry type filters can be vacuum cleaned. Air dry the filter, reassemble and put in new oil.

Electric mowers.

As well as the petrol driven type, there are electric mowers. These are quieter to run and create no fumes. The disadvantages are the limits created by the power cord, and the need for care in the direction you mow to avoid crossing the cord. On suitable sized lawns, they are the quickest and quietest way to mow.

Edgers.

Once you have mowed the bulk of the lawn you need a tool to trim the edges alongside paths and garden beds. A power edger can save a lot of work because it does not need any pushing or traction, so can be used on hard and soft surfaces. If you do not have a concrete or masonry mower strip dividing lawn from garden beds it is necessary to clip the edges each time you mow to prevent grass runners from invading the garden beds. Ideal for this is a power edger, which has no blades but uses a length of line like fishing line, whirling at high speed to cut the grass with a whipping motion. These are sold as complete units or as attachments for a power drill and the line can be replaced as necessary.

Materials you’ll need:

  • Block of wood
  • Penetrating oil
  • Lightweight motor oil
  • Spray lubricant

Tools you’ll need:

  • Power mower
  • Power edger
  • Sharpening file
  • C-clamp
  • Wire brush
  • Adjustable wrench
  • Vacuum cleaner if required
  • Spark plug wrench and socket
  • Spark plug gap-setting tool
  • Screwdriver

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A Handyman’s Guide to Prunning Plants, Trees

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Photo : readersdigest.com.au

Pruning trees is more than trimming overgrown plants. It is (or should be) an imitation of nature’s own practice of removing weak branches, thinning out limbs, which get in each others way, and removing overlong shoots. All this strengthens the tree and increases the production of foliage, flowers and fruit. All pruning equipment should be kept sharp, and should be suited to the job in hand. Too large or too small tools result in ragged cuts, which may damage the tree. There are three main types of pruning saw the hacksaw type which has interchangeable blades, the double-sided saw, and a single-sided hooked saw used for rough work. A pruning knife is handy for trimming. Heavy gloves are useful. There are also many power operated tools available which can reduce the amount of heavy work required.

Points to remember when pruning are:

  • Start pruning when the tree is still young. Keep in mind the character of the fully-grown tree when shaping a young tree.
  • Cut regularly, rather than heavily whenever you think of it. Too-heavy pruning can result in an unattrac­tive mop-head appearance caused by the rash of new growth.
  • Most pruning is done in autumn or winter. Newly transplanted trees should be pruned whatever the season, because their root system is greatly reduced by the move.
  • Cut as close to the base of the piece you are cutting as possible. To avoid tearing off part of the trunk when a branch fails away, make the first cut under the branch to about half-way through then cut from the top.
  • Large branches should be cut into pieces and lowered by rope down the tree. The failing branches are not only a danger to people underneath, they can damage the tree as they fall.
  • Trees such as the conifers produce enough sap to protect the cut surface. Other trees should have a dressing of tree paint applied to the cut edge.
  • For safety, do as much pruning as you can from the ground. If working from a ladder, ensure it is standing on solid ground. Do not try to reach too far out from the ladder. It is safer to climb down and move the ladder, pruning only the area within reach each time.

Materials you’ll need:

Tools you’ll need:

  • Sharpened pruning tools
  • Ladder

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