Dug's FAQ's & Tips
Dug's Seasonal Tips
We are eager to be out and about in our garden.... As soon as the last flower has bloomed and the last of the edibles picked, preparation for next year begins in earnest. To help you get the most out of your garden, we are giving away a free sack for every 5 sacks purchased!
For Example:
Buy 5 sacks - Get 1 sack free
Buy 10 sacks - Get 2 sacks free
Offer only valid until 10th March 2023.
FAQ's
Super Dug Extra – How to use
Super-Dug-Extra is light, clean, easy to use and can be applied all year round. It is also extremely economical – you use handfuls, not barrow-loads or as we say “use little & often”. By following the user guidelines it can help produce remarkable results for all aspects of your garden. It is incredibly versatile and can be used in a number of ways:-
As a feed
Throughout the growing season regularly sprinkle around flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetables remembering our rule of thumb “little and often”
As a Liquid Fertilizer
Add about 1kg (2lbs) of dug to 5 litres (1 gallon) of water and leave for a few days. After straining you will have a dark brown humus rich solution and seeing this does emphasise to you the inherent organic power of Super-Dug Extra! Use this concentrated liquid feed – high in nitrogen and potash – at dilutions in the range of 5:1 to 20:1 depending on the type of plant and its feed requirements. Do not waste the left over slurry - it is a fine soil conditioner!
As a Compost Activator
To speed up the rotting down time if you make your own garden compost, simply sprinkle a thin layer of Super-Dug every 15 centimetres (6 inches) throughout the heap as it builds up. Alternatively mix Super-Dug loosely with the unrotted material when adding to the pile. Super-Dug Extra will also give your home made compost a healthy fertilizer boost!
As a Clay Breaker and Soil Conditioner
Super-Dug Extra is best applied in Autumn when clearing beds and borders. Use approximately 1 kg per square metre (2 lbs per square yard) and incorporate into soil. Throughout the winter, Super-Dug will work his magic and improve your soil's structure and fertility ready for Spring sowing and planting. For very heavy clay or poor soil you can use up to double the suggested amount.
Traditional Compost – How to use
Cuttings Traditional Compost is the gardener’s best friend. Rich and dark in colour and high in humus, nitrogen, phosphate and potash, it can be used as a mulch to top dress beds or dug into cleared beds for use as a soil improver. However you apply it, Traditional Compost will provide all the major and minor nutrients that your plants, shrubs, fruit and vegetables require.
Soil Conditioning: Apply at a rate of 1 to 2kg (2-4lbs) per square yard working into the soil as required. Being so rich in organic matter and humus it improves both clay and sandy soils.
Top Dressing Beds: Apply as a mulch at a rate of 1 to 2kg (2-4lbs) per square yard around the base lightly work in to the top 2 inches of soil if feasible.
Tree Planting: Blend an equal amount of Cutting’s Traditional Compost with the soil removed from the hole loosely place this mixture in the bottom of the hole and the root ball on top of it. Pack the remaining soil around the root ball and water well.
Organic Seeding Compost: Mix 1 part of Cutting's Traditional Compost with 20 parts of finely sieved disease free good quality loam.
Organic Potting Compost: Mix 1 part of Cutting’s Traditional Compost with 10 parts finely sieved loam.
Derek Owen’s All Purpose Compost – How to use
Dr Derek Owen’s signature compost is a professional quality seed and potting compost.
Ideal for all your seeding and potting requirements and creating stunning basket and pot displays, it is now a firm favourite in every garden. Use direct from the bag for raising plants, seeds or cuttings.
Seeding: Fill seed trays loosely with compost and tap box to level and settle. Do not firm. Plant seeds on the surface and cover with a thin layer of compost. Water well. Seedlings are delicate and germinate best in an open textured material where both air and moisture are present and from which they can be removed with least risk of root damage. In the early stages of this growth a humid atmosphere is advantageous and this can be achieved in a propagator or by covering with polythene. No feeding is necessary.
Pricking out Seedlings and Cuttings: Fill trays and strike off level. Tap several times to firm compost. Make a hole sufficient to accommodate the cutting or seedlings root with a pencil or pen and insert the cutting or seedling. Firm the compost lightly around the roots. Always handle cuttings or seedlings by their leaves never by the stem. Water well. No feeding is necessary. Again a humid atmosphere is advantageous.
Potting and Potting On: Once plants are well established and growing vigorously they can be potted singly or planted out. When replanting try to avoid root disturbance by transplanting both the roots and their immediate compost. When growing plants purely in pots or containers ensure you keep them well watered and after 6 to 10 weeks start to feed with a sprinkling of Super Dug Extra.
Autumn Gold – How to use
Autumn Gold is a complex blend of composted farmyard manures, sugars, high potash fertilizer and light young peat and is suitable for application to all types of flowering and fruiting plants and shrubs including lime-hating species such as Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
Top Dressing & Mulching: Use on beds and borders at an overall rate of approx. 2-3 kilograms per square metre (4 to 6 lbs per square yard) and lightly work into the top 5 centimetres (two inches) of soil. Apply as a mulch up to one inch deep around individual plants according to size.
Autumn Gold will promote flowering and increase longevity particularly in the Autumn months and is ideal to use to help protect delicate species from early frosts.
Spring Green – How to use
Top Dressing & Mulching: Use Spring Green to top dress beds and borders in spring at a rate of approx 2-3 kg per square metre (4 to 6 lbs per square yard) and lightly work into the top 5 centimetres (two inches) of soil. Apply as a mulch up to one inch deep around individual plants according to size.
When used as a dressing Spring Green will increase the humus level and restore fertility to tired soils.
When used as a mulch Spring Green will increase resistance to Spring frosts and encourage early flowering.
Lawns: Use on lawns throughout the year (ideally after the last frosts at the start of the year and before the last cut of the year). Use approx. 1-2 kg per square metre (2 to 4 lbs per square yard) and rake or brush into the lawn surface. Forking or tyning the lawn before or during application will improve uptake and performance. The high nitrogen fertilizers present in Spring Green will promote lush green growth and the iron compounds present not only enhance this effect but also act as a completely safe suppressant of most broad leaf weeds.