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