Infraserv PTY Ltd

Happy Tuesday!

Gardening in August

We’re not quite yet done with winter, but it is certainly time to start planning and planting for warmer weather. Remember, spring is just around the corner and all garden centres are stocked to the brim with instant colour. Don’t forget to put out seeds for our feathered friends, which are slowly returning to the garden!

August is considered ‘the’ windy month in most parts of South Africa, so don’t forget to stake newly planted trees and standards to prevent them from toppling over or snapping in the wind.

Make the first sowings of summer crops like runner beans, dwarf beans, maize, sweetcorn, pumpkins and squashes. Top-dress perennial crops like asparagus and globe artichokes. Plant out seedlings of early tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Plant out seed potatoes in rows. Also start sowing early crops of sweet basil, coriander and rocket.

Source: Life is a garden

“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.”

Happy Women's Day from the team at Infraserv!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

In the words of Madiba - “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.”

Never give up on your dreams and have a happy Mandela Day!

How to care for your succulents during winter

Succulents are the easiest, waterwise and lowest maintenance plants you could have in your garden, but they do need a little extra attention in winter:

1. Winterise Succulents By Moving Them
The best way to winterize succulents is by protecting them from freezing temperatures. You can do this by bringing them indoors, moving them to a covered porch, into a sunny spot – they love light – next to a sheltered wall, into a greenhouse or conservatory. Do this in fall or before temperatures get below 5ºF. For those succulents that have to remain outside, you can protect them in various ways.
2. Raise Succulents Off The Ground In Winter
If your succulents are in containers, and whether you've moved them to a sheltered spot or not, if they are still outside, raising off the freezing ground will help to protect their roots and leaves from ground frost.
3. Remove Dead Leaves
Before take any more steps to care for your winter succulents, do some pruning. An important way to care for succulents in winter is to remove dead or dying/damaged leaves. Leaving them on can cause rot to spread.
4. Protect Succulents Outdoors With Fleece
Caring for succulents in winter does require some work. One way to protect them from freezing weather is with a heavy horticultural fleece. Wrap your succulents in fleece in late fall/early winter and you will protect them not just from cold but from really wet weather, which can lead the leaves to rot, especially if any have existing damage. The upside of horticultural fleece over other materials is that it will allow air to circulate around the succulents and light to filter through, helping to keep the plants happy.
5. Add A Layer Of Gravel Around The Succulents' Roots
While you might protect other winter plants with mulch, succulents planted in a border or in containers will benefit from a good thick layer of gravel or pebbles. These will, of course, provide some protection from frost, but will also stop your succulents' leaves from drooping into wet soil, which will increase the chance of rot infecting the plant.
6. Ensure Succulent Drainage Is Efficient
Succulents do not like to sit in water – after all, they are drought-tolerant. For this reason, it's important to ensure that succulent containers drain efficiently – especially in winter when any water left in the bottom of the container is likely to freeze.
Source: Homes and gardens

Enjoy July!

On this Tuesday, choose a positive mindset and believe that you will reach your goals.

On , we recognize the immeasurable value that young people bring to our society. Your perspectives matter!

From backyard braais to gaming nights, dads know how to create special memories. Cheers to all the wonderful fathers this Father's Day!

June in your garden

Avid gardeners will tell you that their lifelong love of gardening and plants probably originated from the gift of a cool plant such as a cactus, bonsai tree, fly catcher, or a little love palm when still only a child. So, as June 16th, is officially Youth Day and a public holiday to boot, take your teenagers to the closest garden centre to spend quality family time in the peaceful company of plants and flowers, rather than on the streets. While there, buy them a living gift to love and to nurture, the same way as they deserve to be loved and cared for.

Smart planting

The so-called ‘bleakness of midwinter garden’ is a total myth as lots of plants, whether indigenous or exotic, flower with abundance in the cooler months. Pretty foliage reigns supreme too as the colour spectrum of foliage plants like conifers, nandinas and leucadendrons intensify spectacularly in cool temperatures. Add the ‘wow’ factor to your garden with the following winter beauties…

Stalwart creeper: Allow Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) to trail over a smart trellis – it can become a pretty focal point for many future winters with its golden yellow flower trumpets.

Enjoy your Chooseday Tuesday!

Easy Weekend DIY

Plastic bins are a versatile and inexpensive way to restore order in almost every in-home trouble spot.
Using clear bins for storage in a pantry or for a closet gift-wrap station, for example, is an easy way to take inventory and identify items at a glance.

Use labels to ensure everything stays tidy and easy to access.

To all the mothers in our community - thank you for your unwavering support and unconditional love

Gardening in May.

Sow flowers like sweet peas, marigolds, dianthus, nasturtiums, verbenas and violas.

Consider any Hibiscus rosa-sinensis variety like ‘Brilliant’ (with red flowers) for a large flowery hedge – they love a subtropical climate and are at their best now.

Rose care in coastal areas: Spray rose bushes with fungicides every two weeks until June. The longer you can manage to keep foliage on plants, the better chance the woody stems will have to ripen, resulting in better blooms in spring. Also feed all rose bushes one more time and water weekly.

Feed avocado trees with 3:1:5 fertiliser and mulch. Plant litchis and citrus and keep mango trees dry before the flowering starts.

Pull up old sweet basil plants, chop them up and use them as an insect-repelling mulch around cabbages.

On this special day, let's recognize the unsung heroes who contribute their time, skills, and passion to make our lives better. Wishing all the workers out there a happy and fulfilling Worker's Day!

Freedom cannot be taken for granted. Let's cherish it, protect it, and celebrate it today and every day! 🙌🎉

Infraserv PTY Ltd has houses for sale in Empangeni's Dumisani Makhaye Village.
Need more information?
Send a WhatsApp to 081 313 0576 TODAY!

May we offer you the keys to your own home in Empangeni's Dumisani Makhaye Village?
First time home buyers may qualify for a government subsidy of up to R169 264.00 (terms and conditions apply) under the FLISP programme.
Need more information? Send a WhatsApp to 081 313 0576 TODAY!

While it seldom gets really cold in Zululand, gathering around a fire is what we do, right?

So why not build your own simple fire-pit this weekend?
A visit to your local hardware store and grab 30 concrete retaining wall blocks, a bag of pea pebbles, and a bag of paver base. Two hours later you'll be roasting all the marshmallows with the closest of friends and family."

Infraserv PTY Ltd has houses for sale in Empangeni's Dumisani Makhaye Village.
Need more information?
Email [email protected] or send a WhatsApp to 081 313 0576 TODAY!

Quick Garden Maintenance Tip
Start making your own compost using gorgeous fallen autumn leaves. Mix leaves, plus kitchen scraps with a compost activator product. Keep your heap moist and let the beneficial composting microorganisms get to work.

Prune hedge plants such as Buxus, coast rosemary (westringia) and murrayas to maintain the shape you desire.

Feed fruiting vegetables like beans, tomatoes and cauliflowers with a high-potassium fertiliser.

Top grass tip: Transplant runners (sideways-growing pieces with some roots) from Cynodon, Kikuyu or LM Berea grass lawns to fill bare patches in the ground.

As the flowers bloom and the birds sing, may Easter bring new beginnings and endless blessings to your life.

The day we become silent about the things that matter is the moment our lives begin to end. Let us all together celebrate this Human Rights Day.

You are paying somebody's bond - it might as well be your own.

You can buy property in Empangeni's Dumisani Makhaye Village.
Need more information? Email [email protected] or send a WhatsApp to 081 313 0576 TODAY!

May we offer you the keys to your own home in Empangeni's Dumisani Makhaye Village?
First time home buyers may qualify for a government subsidy of up to R169 264.00 (terms and conditions apply) under the FLISP programme.
Need more information? Email [email protected] or send a WhatsApp to 081 313 0576 TODAY!

We wish everyone who celebrate Ramadan a blessed and peaceful time.