STIHL SHOP™ – IN SEARCH OF THE BEST AND WORST BACKYARDS

As Kiwi families around the country remove the cobwebs from their barbeques and dust off the cricket set ready for the summer months ahead, STIHL SHOP™ would like to know who has (or has not) been preening their backyards in preparation for such activities.

This month, lawn and garden care specialists STIHL SHOP™ are encouraging locals to enter the STIHL SHOP™ Backyard Beauty Contest, with $30,000 worth of prizes including lawnmowers, barbeques, chainsaws, water blasters, line trimmers and cold, hard cash up for grabs.

Whether you have a pristine lawn or unsightly backyard, the Backyard Beauty Contest will divide the nation in a backyard battle between the Upper North Island, Lower North Island and South Island by weeding out the best and worst lawns in New Zealand.

Unlike other beauty contests, Backyard Beauty is open to everyone, and in this pageant it is okay to be dirty or have worms.

STIHL SHOP™ Marketing Manager Sophie Wardrop says, “The beauty about the STIHL SHOP™ Backyard Beauty Contest is that it is open to anyone and everyone. No matter what state your backyard is in, STIHL SHOP™ would love to see it and help by rewarding those people with excellent lawn care and outdoor power equipment products.

“A lot of people know STIHL SHOP™ for its industrial- strength products, but we are also very community orientated. We have 58 local stores around the country and our teams have experience and expert advice for any backyard project, from trimming hedges to turning soil and achieving the perfect summer lawn. We have lots of handy hints for the home-maker.”

Those who think they have what it takes to win the best backyard or worst backyard title can nominate themselves or put in a nomination for someone else (neighbours, relatives, community member, whoever) by visiting www.newstalkzb.co.nz. To enter, register your details, tell us where your local STIHL SHOP™ is and upload a photo of your chosen backyard.

Winners will be determined by a mixture of public votes and the opinions of STIHL SHOP™ experts. The two categories are Best Backyard and Worst (or Most Improvement Needed) Backyard in three regions: upper North Island (Taupo North), lower North Island and South Island. In addition, there will be prizes for the people who nominate the entries and for those that vote for the best and worst in their region.

Entries close Friday 22 October 2010. For more information, visit www.newstalkzb.co.nz.

STIHL SHOP™ Lawn Care Hints

The correct preparation:
Loosen the subsoil, lay top soil to a depth of approx. 20 cm, even out any bumps or deep hollows so that the mower's progress isn't hindered later.

Scatter the grass seeds (approx. 30 g/m²), rake them in, roll the ground or tread down firmly using boards, then water with a fine jet. The lawn should never be allowed to dry out before mowed for the first time.

Important
• When mowing for the first time, only use newly sharpened blades so that the delicate grass is cut and not torn.
• Rule of thumb: Ideally, no more than 1/3 of the blade of grass should be cut when mowing.
• The cutting height for lawns under normal usage conditions should be between 3 and 5 cm, depending on the weather and time of year.

Spring
An initial clearing cut removes leaves and twigs. To encourage a thick lawn mow once a week. Aerate a heavily matted lawn using a scarifier when the soil is warm and dry. For spring fertilisation, use a long-term fertiliser. During periods of intense growth, cut the lawn twice a week.

Summer
If it is extremely hot, never cut the grass short (down to max. 5 cm) and water well. Mow tall "holiday lawns" in several stages. If you mulch you save yourself from having to fertilise in summer!