Bradley uses brawn to tame lawns
Date published: 15 October 2015
In time for National Water Week next week, Townsville City Council is launching a series of short web videos featuring a character named Bradley the Lawn Tamer.
The fun approach to reducing water consumption sees Bradley teaching residents how to grow grass the right way over a series of six videos, therefore saving time mowing, money and water.
The first episode, plus the accompanying fact sheets, will go live on council’s website this Sunday, the beginning of National Water Week October 18-24.
Smart City Sustainable Future Committee chair Cr Vern Veitch said Bradley the Lawn Tamer had easy-to-follow, useful information for residents.
"This is a fun way to tackle a serious issue – reducing water use on lawns and gardens is growingly essential at this time when our city is facing the worst dry season in many years," Cr Veitch said.
"We hope these videos and fact sheets on our website and via social media, help residents change their habits and therefore help conserve this precious resource."
Each episode deals with a different topic:
- Watering
- Soils
- Lawn species
- Fertilising
- Mowing
- Irrigation and Leaks
Council will also hold a Lawn Tamer open day on Saturday, October 24 so residents can meet the scientists behind the campaign.
The event at the Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre will run from 8am to 12 noon and will feature a free barbecue, demonstrations and much more.
To see Bradley the Lawn Tamer’s videos visit our Lawn Tamer pages
The Lawn Tamer's Top Tips:
- Water no more than twice a week in the dry and never when it's wet
- Good soils are the key to a healthy lawn
- Use your catcher in the wet and make the most of your clippings in the dry
- Strong lawns are fertilised just enough
- Choosing the right turf can save you up to 13 Sundays a year
- Let the rain do the heavy lifting and turn your irrigation off when it's wet
Who is Bradley?
Bradley’s tale began when he first sprung to life on the lawns of Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens. His mother named him Bradley, meaning "Broad Meadows". That horticultural seed continued to bloom during adolescence when Bradley discovered a Jedi like power over anything that photosynthesised.
Wanting to use his breathtaking package of floral finesse for good Bradley travelled the world, bringing hope and shrubbery to the masses. Needing a real challenge Bradley ventured to Townsville to unleash his unbridled charismatic manliness and superhuman prowess upon our lawns.
(Bradley also holds the distinction of being the only profile ever removed from Wikipedia, as their servers couldn’t handle the 2 billion daily page views from swooning fans and frustrated gardeners).
