Establishing diverse cover crops, diverse pastures or diverse forage crops

 

Things to think about when establishing diverse crops or pastures

Questions to ask yourself

  • What is the state of your soils’ health?

  • Are there any limiting factors that might compromise your pastures ability to thrive (i.e. compaction)?

  • If so, what can you do to alleviate them?

  • Do you need to start from scratch (spraying/cultivating) or can you achieve your goals through drilling into existing pasture, broadcasting seed, or changing grazing management?

    • E.g. Diverse pastures can be ‘managed for’ by stimulating existing seed banks through grazing management, biostimulants etc.

Manage your expectations

  • Diverse crops/pastures can take longer to properly establish than ryegrass and white clover and some species may not show up initially - patience is required.

  • Take one step at a time - consider establishing your first diverse forage crop as you would a monoculture in order to gain confidence.

  • The same seed mix will likely result in different outcomes in different soil conditions, climate/weather, sowing methods, grazing management, etc - even within the same paddock!

Consider your approach

Method of establishment will depend on factors such as:

  • soil conditions (e.g. compaction) and if significant crop residue or pasture thatch remains

  • access to spray or cultivation gear

    • Timing is important so having your own equipment such as cultivation gear, aerators, drills and fertiliser sprayer/spreaders can be beneficial.

  • type of drill/seeder available

  • personal views or experience on the relative negative impacts of herbicides vs cultivation in each context

Method of drilling mixed-size seeds, e.g:

  • Compromise depth - halfway depth between big and small seeds

  • Multiple passes - drill big and small seeds at different depths

  • Drill and broadcast - drill big seeds and broadcast small seeds

Monitor for pests (e.g. slugs) before and after sowing

Nigel Greenwood transitioned from min-till to no-till and now direct drills all cash and cover crops.

Options to consider

  • Do you want to:

    • Add or not adding fertiliser at drilling

    • Add biostimulants to seed at drilling

    • Add inoculants to seed or soils

  • Consider using untreated seed as agri-chemicals can impact soil microbes; plant diversity will help reduce disease and insect pressure.

  • Cultivation, fertiliser, and sprays may help to give you ‘peace of mind’ as you build your knowledge and experience in growing a successful diverse crop.

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Check out our Regenerative Viticulture case study to hear why one vineyard cultivates and the other is no-till

 

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Disclaimer: The information, opinions and ideas presented in this content is for information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Any reliance on the content provided is done at your own risk. (click here to view full disclaimer).

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Managing diverse cover crops, diverse pastures or diverse forage crops