Deck hacks

1. Prepare the deck

Before you get started planting out your deck it is best to give it a bit of a spruce up so it can handle the brunt of your spring and summer functions. If your deck is brand new, bare timber, follow the 3 step process, if your deck just needs freshening up, you can skip to step 2. With some simple tips from Cabot’s, you can do your deck in just one day!

Step 1: Prepare new bare timber with Cabot’s New Timber Prep 
Cabot’s New Timber Prep is the key to unlocking your coated, beautiful, decking haven in just one day. By applying New Timber Prep to your bare timber, you’re skipping the 4-6 week weathering process that is mandatory for new decks. Cabot’s New Timber Prep will draw the tannins and oils from your timber to the surface, darkening the timber’s appearance. To remove the tannins and oils from the surface, always follow New Timber Prep with Cabot’s Deck Clean.

Step 2: Clean your deck with Cabot’s Deck Clean 
Cleans and rejuvenates new and weathered timber and prepares timber for coating by removing dirt, grease and other contaminates.

Step 3: Coat your deck with  Cabot’s Aquadeck 
Cabots Aquadeck is a highly durable, low odour, lightly pigmented water-based decking oil. It enhances and protects the natural look of your exterior timber. 
 

2. Give your BBQ a ‘Spring’ Clean

After the cooler winter weather most BBQ’s need a bit of tender loving care to get them ready for their starring role in spring and summer. BBQs can get pretty mucky with baked on grease and grime, which if left, can build up bacteria. Also as they are outdoors- they can pick up dirt and bird droppings. Luckily, it’s easy to keep your BBQ area in top shape with Selleys® BBQCleaning products.

Get rid of the tough grime left from your last great feast with Selleys® BBQ Tough Grease and Grime Cleaner and Selleys® BBQ Tough Wipes. Get your stainless steel BBQ to shine like new again with Selleys® BBQ Exterior Clean & Shine.

Now that the deck and the BBQ are ready to go, it’s time to bring in the green life! Many plants can be grown in or around decked areas providing a large variety of uses. Here are a couple of our favourite plants to have around your deck. 

3. Easy access herbs

Create a herb pot or vertical garden near your BBQ so herbs are always on hand to flavour your food! Imagine breaking off a bunch of rosemary to brush over your lamb chops or sage over your pork!

4. Natural mosquito repellent

There is nothing more annoying in summer than being bitten by mosquitoes so why not plant a natural mosquito repellent on your deck to help keep those nasties away! Some of our favourites are:

• Lavender - Lavender is a great plant to repel mosquitos! It’s beautiful scent actually confuses mossies as it hinders their ability to smell!
• Basil - Basil is another herb that can also double as a pest repellent. The scent of the basil leaves will help keep nasties such as flies and mosquitoes away.
• Geraniums - The strong scent of Geraniums are another popular plant to help keep the mossies away. They love warm, sunny climates, so they're the perfect deck plant in the summer. To really boost their pest fighting power, crush a couple of their leaves to release their aromatic scent and scatter around the deck area.

5. Lemons

If the thought of squeezing a wedge of freshly picked lemon on your steaming hot barbequed fish has you salivating, then why not grow a dwarf lemon tree on your deck!

A variety such as Dwarf Meyer Lemon is perfect for your deck as they only grow to around 1.5m  AND are prolific fruiters – meaning more lemons for you to enjoy!

Growing Guide:

• When planting citrus into containers, choose a well-drained pot that’s at least 50 cm in diameter and position in full sun.
• Use a good quality potting mix like Yates Premium Potting Mix. It’s also beneficial to apply a few centimetres of mulch over the surface, which will help the potting mix stay moist.
• Keep the mulch a few centimetres away from the trunk to allow good airflow and reduce the chance of collar rot disease.
• While citrus trees are maturing their fruit during late autumn and early winter, continue to feed citrus each week with Yates Thrive Fish Blood & Bone Plant Food Concentrate. 

6. Make your meals gourmet!

Add some stylistic flair to your meals by adding some edible flowers and micro greens! There are a number of varieties that are perfect for growing in a pot and not only do they look stunning, they also help ward off pests that might eat through your other plants

Elevate your dishes to 5 star with these varieties:

• Yates Nasturtium ‘Jewel Mixed’
• Yates Snapdragon ‘Tetra Mixed’
• Yates Micro Greens