Monthly Archives: September 2016

With the official arrival of Autumn this week, we wanted to take a moment to think about those Autumn gardening jobs that we need to get done, in preparation for the colder months.

1. There’s still time to plant or split – Yes that’s right, there is still a small window of opportunity to plant your spring bulbs or split your perennials etc. whilst the soil is still warm after summer. Also the soil being moist will help with splitting any plants. Try to get this done sooner rather than later though to give the roots of your plants/bulbs chance to establish themselves before the winter weather arrives
2. Think about your Spring garden - If like us you enjoy seeing your garden spring to life come Spring, now is the time to prepare for that by planting your spring bulbs. TIP – Face the bulb tip facing upwards and plant at a depth of 2/3 times their height to help their roots to get established.
3. Trim your bushes, shrubs and herbaceous perennials – As soon as you see your shrubs and bushes turn yellow, or the stems of your perennials bending down towards the ground, now is the time to cut them back. You can normally cut your shrubs and bushes back to around ¼ their size, however if you’re in any doubt, speak to your local garden centre to seek advice.
4. Feed your lawn – It’s important not to forget about your lawn as you’re busy preparing your plants for the winter months. Apply a Autumn lawn fertilizer to give it a boost ahead of the colder months and be sure to clear away all fallen leaves, fruit etc. to prevent them rotting and damaging your lawn. TIP – Your last mow should be around early November, and if you leave your grass slightly longer than normal (around 5cm) it will be able to make better use of the late Autumn sunlight.
5. Relocate your pot plants – Either move them inside or into your greenhouse, or place them in a sheltered location.
6. Harvest any fruits such as apples or pears. We are loving this Autumn recipe from BBC Good Food for using up some of your delicious produce

That’s our 6 essentials must dos in the garden this Autumn, but we’d love to hear your top tips and Autumn jobs.  Feel free to share them below.

The Quality Greenhouses team :-)

One of our favourite products at the moment which we saw in action at RHS Tatton a few months ago is the smart solar powered Irrigatia SOL-C12 and SOL-C24 Automatic Watering Systems. Designed to save gardeners a whole lot of time and effort and encourage plant growth, this automatic watering system is one not to be missed!

The Irrigatia Automatic Watering System is solar powered and comes with a water pump system which can be connected to any water system, most commonly water butts. It harvests the power of the sun to water your plants, so on hotter days where the sun’s power is greater, it will automatically deliver more water to your plants. Unlike other water systems, this system can also pump the water upwards if needed and the power of the watering system can be adjusted to suit the natural climate. The water supply system works by delivering a drip feed to your plants every 3 hours, allowing for regular watering throughout the day. This is really useful for allotment users or if you’re greenhouse or polytunnel is not located at home, as it means you don’t need to visit your greenhouse every day if you don’t want to. What makes this system so smart is that it can now detect when it is dark and will turn the system off during the night to prevent watering.

The other great feature about the Irrigatia Automatic Watering Systems is that they come with a SMART controller and water level sensor which monitors the water level in your water butt and will alert you if the water level falls below a safe level, therefore preventing damage to the pump.

The system is available in two sizes, the SOL-C12 and SOL-C24. The Irrigatia SOL-C12 Automatic Watering System is capable of watering up to twelve 20 litre pots or 5 large hanging baskets whereas the SOL-C24 Automatic Watering System can water up to 24 20 litre pots or 10 hanging baskets.

To make your life easier, you can also purchase various extension kits to help water more plants. The system comes with 12 drippers for use with pots and baskets, but you could also choose to add the likes of a seep hose or extend the length of the watering system by using one of the connector kits.
All in all, we think that the Irrigatia Automatic Watering Systems are a great product which would make a welcome addition to most greenhouses or polytunnels. The smart technology which sees the system turn off in the evenings and sound during daylight hours if the water level is low are great features which will help to protect your watering system and plants. And what’s more, not having to stand there and water your plants everyday will also save you time and hassle! We’re happy with that!