Find the cheapest organic matter you can and pile it on. Tip mulch is my favourite (being no cost, pathogen free, light and nice looking), but whatever is in your area. If you are around seymour you might be able to get apricot kernels or something, if you're around mansfield you might get sawdust.

Then add plenty of nitrogen to get everything going and wait 3 months.

That's my recipe.

(Of course, if you want to grow plants that are native to your area, you probably don't need to do anything, although organic matter is always helpful in my experience)

Thx Nathan

Im from the Bendigo region and planting idegenous natives, so the soil may then just be good enough. I got told if I could plant stuff now while their is moisture in the soil, they will get a little established before summer hits. I am rushing to plant within a month without any soil preparation?

Blue,

You have not explained what condition your soil is in at present. It may well be just fine for planting as it is, as Navy Blue has suggested. What is its history (ie. has it been fertilised much, as this will effect any Proteaceae plants etc), does it receive much water runoff? Is your top soil very deep before you hit clay or shale?

I know those soils around Castlemaine and they can be quite variable depending on where you are. A lot of those ridgelines are very shaley and rocky while the lower areas can be produce quite good soils. You can have very shallow soil, sitting on hard clay or shale there. But it can also be very dry.

If you are going to plant local species then what you already have could be quite okay.

I don't know about putting weed mat down - could turn out to be more trouble than it is worth. My neighbour has put some down, wit hsome volcanic stones on top, and guess what? The weeds are coming straight through. I think if you try to keep the weeds down by manually pulling or spraying, aftter a few years, the area should be weed free - just need top wait until all the seeds have germinated. The good thing about a native garden, is that a couple of weeds here and there aren't noticed as much as in a formal garden.

I wouldn't bother with fertiliser for two reasons: 1)indigenous plants to your area won't need them as suggested earlier and 2) weeds and exotics will do much better if you do. If you feel bad about doing nothing then I would focus on soil characteristics such as particle size and pH. I am guessing a clay soil out bendigo way so add gypsum and perhaps look at drainage, aggie pipe where needs be.

Have you given up on a lawn as you could use a native grass for a lawn? I imagine red grass and wallaby grass (or a mixture) will do well in Bendigo. Just a thought.

I concur with POS02, lose the weed mat. I'm am not a fan of the rotary hoe. Conventional hoes leave a flat pan underneath causing water to pool at that level running the risk of drowning plants that don't like wet feet.

Cheers
Danili

Thanks to all the responses.

To summarise the area was covered totally with lawn, well sort of lawn and weed. The soil is Bendigo soil, clayish, not alot of sand, some stone and generally not the best at all !!! That is why I am planting indegenous plants, should grow OK in my soil.

Concerned the lawn will reshoot and some of the roots on the lawn were long and winding. That is why I want to go the weedmat. So do u all think weedmat is going to be a waste of money? Just that I am putting bark and stones/pebbles over that, just hate to see weeds and lawn come up again !!!

Thinking of planting grasses and smaller shrubs no trees as the area is quite small.

Thanks.

From my experience weed mat is more trouble than it is worth. The last house we were at had it in their gardens, and over the years the soil underneath becomes lifeless as no organic matter can get through. I found that the soil also became hydrophobic(?) and would not take in water - It just pools on top or runs off. You're best to control the weeds with bark and pebbles as you suggested.
Regards,
Brett

dont use a weed mat
a weed mat will actually kill any microflora in your soil
because the weed mat will deprive the soil of oxygen and water penetration will also be duly affected
the only suggestion is to layer up newspaper and lots of mulch to stop the weeds from coming through
but weeds will always be the bane of gardeners everywhere

the soil really probably needs some mixing with organic matter
I used a native mix low in phos and had the beneficial microflora to help kickstart my garden along

finally excellent choice to remove your lawn I am a native garden extremist and think that maintaining lawns are un-australian and enviromental terrorism
(just kidding)
congrats on seeing the light

"finally excellent choice to remove your lawn I am a native garden extremist and think that maintaining lawns are un-australian and enviromental terrorism
(just kidding)
congrats on seeing the light"

well I dont disagree with you, I think we do rely too much on large ornamental lawns, but a small patch can have it's place in a garden. mine is in a central area that wouldnt be practical to plant shrubs, it keeps the sandy soil in tact and it's already surrounded by paving which reflects a lot of heat in summer and the lawn is much cooler (my dogs can even go outside without burning their feet on the ground now). :)

one thing I can say in it's favour is that the birds love this little patch, the magpie larks seem to find lots of worms in there and visit this area every day, and the willy wagtails and honeyeaters seem to find bugs floating around so they like this area too, I cant believe it's all that bad if the birds are giving it the "thumbs up".

I think it can be done responsibly in moderation though, and sometimes it's the only thing that works in a particular situation. just my thoughts

Great thread - the only thing that I'd add is : 'natives' encompasses a huge range of plants. My native palms have different requirements to my native myrtles, and my native ferns have another set of requirements again.

Don Burke is adamant that you should use the soil that you have, but I've had good results with mounding over my clay beds. I guess it all comes down to plant choice - if you want prima-donnas, you are going to need the soil and aspect that goes with that territory. The hardier natives (most wattles, eucalypts and myrtles) will adapt to the soil you have, assuming its neither hugely acidic nor particularly alkaline.

dont get me wrong on the lawn thing
there is a place for lawn in the australian landscape
but not the be all and end all that most of suburbs have
especially the new housing estates where remenant bushland is destroyed for a 1/4 acre block and a lawn
what is that going to achieve
i have a small lawn for my dogs too but it aint the dominant feature of my gardens
thats what im getting at

Way too moderate and understanding, warcrazy :)

In my world view, there is no place for anything that doesnt earn its keep : lawns, roses, ludicrously small dogs ...

When you consider the range of groundcovers which would thrive on far less than the average lawn consumes (in time, water, fertiliser etc), its a no-brainer. I even consider paving preferable to lawn, and the bush seems to get by just fine without it. Nothing beats a clearing strewn with the mulch from a large gum and underplanted with dense shrubs and native grasses.

To all the lawn bashers on this thread, have a look at native grasses for lawns. They need next to no irrigation, definitely no fertiliser required (perhaps use a mower which mulches as well) and mowing is kept to a minimum. Forget the ryes, fescues, buffalo and couches, get your hands on redgrass, wallaby grass and co and grow them as a lawn, you'll love them. Guys, you need to stop bagging lawns and just get the right lawn (and the are native to boot). Start sowing!

Cheers

Thanks all for the "debate". Plenty of good advice. Must look into the native grasses (red and wallaby) to see what they are like.
Not along ago I did not give natives a go at all, now I am really looking forward to my front yard. Will be rewarding.

" especially the new housing estates where remenant bushland is destroyed for a 1/4 acre block and a lawn
what is that going to achieve"

yes wazcrazy, the ornamental lawn is making a comeback in my area unfortunately, it's an old suburb so theyre not destroying any bushland, but they are bulldozing old houses and every single tree in sight, so birds are still losing their homes, and when the new houses go up, out comes the roll on lawn for an instant garden. there is such a difference between the old gardens and the new ones, most of the older houses have dead unwatered lawns out the front over the summer now but the new houses have these lush well watered lawns. I get a bit dismayed by it but hopefully in time people will learn it's not the way to go.

"When you consider the range of groundcovers which would thrive on far less than the average lawn consumes (in time, water, fertiliser etc), its a no-brainer. "

artie, I dont use artificial fertilisers, I give the lawn chook poo so it helps improve the sandy soil as well as feeding, probably why the worms are attracted to this spot. as far as time goes, it takes a couple of minutes to mow this area and I catch water from the gutter into a tank over winter and use this to water it in summer, so I dont feel like Im creating any crime here.

"I even consider paving preferable to lawn, and the bush seems to get by just fine without it. Nothing beats a clearing strewn with the mulch from a large gum and underplanted with dense shrubs and native grasses."

I have plenty of paving, about 60% of my backyard is paving and it's hotter than hell in the summer ;) Even when this suburb was bush all those years ago, it was still sandy bushland but I dont have the room in my small backyard to put any trees in to stop the wind from carrying away the soil, and like I said, shrubs arent suitable here because it will create an obstacle course.

I could go on about how I first tried dichondra repens but found it needed much more water than a lawn to survive here (but I wont :) ), but to me this lawn does earn its keep, and if it provides conditions for the birds to find food it's just as worthy as any native plant that does the same thing in my garden (to me anyway).

For those who feel that I may be a little over-the-top, I probably need to clarify a few things. Firstly, I dont consider small (- a sprinkler blasting away in the midday sun
- painstakingly manicured edges
- top-dressing / fertiliser / whatever to keep it 'looking good'
- my mower blades set to their lowest setting

You might laugh, but how many times have we all seen homes that have nothing but an expanse of super-short lawn around them ? Their owners probably consider such an approach to be 'hassle-free' : just mow it, water it and fertilise it ...

Broad expanses of lawn are fine in public parks, but I question their validity for the homeowner. Artificial surfaces like paving are hotter, but thats where trees and climbers come into their own.

Thanks for all the responses, quite a long post now !!!!!!

1 more question, if i dont use weedmat, what about using newspaper instead?

hi navy, newspaper is fine to use, it does the same thing as weedmat (smothers the weeds and blocks out the light) but the difference is that newspaper will break down slowly and add organic matter to the soil. Ive used it around young and older natives to smother out weeds, I just wet it down so that it takes up water and then cover it over with compost so you dont even see it's there. you might find it easier to do after you get the plants in and just keep it away from the base of the plant like you normally do with mulch.

Following on from Trancegemini - yes newspaper is a handy way to go. I used this approach when fighting a monumental battle with kikuyu invading my garden beds - and eventually won! I used it about 5 sheets deep, thoroughly soaked, then lay sugar cane mulch over the top. The only warning I would give is to keep an eye on water penetration - if allowed to dry out too much for too long, the newspaper can become water repellant.

I thank you all very much for your detailed help. Very much appreciated. Cant wait until the weekend comes so i can start getting out into the frontyard and putting all the good ideas into practice..........

I even used cardboard from boxes in the larger gaps between the plantings. Make sure to leave room for water to get in though.

When we decided to landscape our large suburban block in Melbourne, a landscape designer found we had 26 difference types of weeds. It took one year to get rid of them, feeding and then spraying a number of times. Then we did the newspaper and mulch thing. It really has paid off, we have very little trouble with weeds, usually manageable by hand pulling. I know it is hard to wait when you are enthusiastic, but preparation is the whole thing initially.

>In my world view, there is no place for anything that doesnt earn its keep......ludicrously small dogs ...

They're often the only sort that fit practicably on the increasingly ludicrously small housing blocks, and they go a long way toward keeping the nation's mental health bill down. A few of them can be a bit ugly and obnoxious, but that isn't restricted only to the little ones.

Navy blue, if there's a way to avoid the roundup, you'd be doing yourself a favour there too. It's proving to be nowhere near as harmless as has been claimed.

dont knock small dogs unless there chihuahuas or those stupid fluffy things
but if you want a garden dont buy pugs the wrecking balls of the dog world
I can testify to that

OK, this is my list of 'small dogs which dont warrant feeding':

Maltese Terrier and other yapping white menaces
Chihuaha or anything hairless
Corgis
Minitaure Poodle

In the 'OK' class:
Australian/Scottish/Jack Russell terriers
King Charles Spaniel

I'm sure there are exceptions, but those little yappers annoy the proverbial out of me ...

how did this get onto dogs????

Navy blue, I know you're not up to mulch yet, and, I know it can be expensive, but you really can't beat lucerne. A 5cm layer of lucerne, topped with a 5cm layer of native mulch, which looks good and keeps the lucerne moist, will have the place jumping with earthworms in no time.