Lupins Green Manure Seeds

Lupin Green Manure Seeds

Botanical Name: Lupinus angustifolius

Lupin is a cool-season annual legume cover crop used for green manure, nitrogen fixation, soil improvement, biomass production, and crop rotation. It is especially valued for its strong taproot, ability to grow in lighter soils, and capacity to add organic matter when chopped and returned to the soil.

As a green manure crop, Lupin helps improve soil fertility, suppress weeds, support soil biology, and provide useful winter to spring ground cover. It is well suited to vegetable gardens, orchards, paddocks, broadacre rotations, and regenerative farming systems in suitable Australian climates.

• Cool-season annual legume green manure and cover crop.
• Fixes nitrogen when grown with suitable lupin inoculant.
• Produces strong biomass for chop-and-drop mulch or soil incorporation.
• Deep taproot helps improve soil structure and nutrient cycling.
• Useful for winter cover cropping, soil improvement, and crop rotations.
• Suitable for gardens, orchards, paddocks, mixed farms, and broadacre systems.
• Best suited to cool, temperate, Mediterranean, and winter-rainfall regions.

Plant Details

• Plant Type: Cool-season annual legume
• Botanical Name: Lupinus angustifolius
• Growth Height: Approximately 60–120 cm
• Growth Habit: Upright, bushy annual legume
• Root System: Strong taproot with nitrogen-fixing potential
• Frost Tolerance: Moderate once established
• Drought Tolerance: Moderate once established
• Best Position: Full sun
• Best Soil: Well-drained sandy loam to loam soils; avoid waterlogged soil

Best Uses

• Green manure crop
• Cool-season cover crop
• Nitrogen fixation
• Soil improvement and organic matter
• Weed suppression
• Winter and spring crop rotations
• Orchard and paddock cover
• Broadacre legume rotations
• Regenerative farming and soil-building blends

Sowing Information

• Best Sowing Time: Autumn to early winter in most suitable regions
• Germination Time: 7–14 days in suitable conditions
• Sowing Depth: 2–4 cm
• Position: Full sun
• Soil Type: Best in well-drained sandy loam to loam soils; avoid waterlogging
• Soil pH: Prefers slightly acidic to neutral soils
• Watering: Keep moist during establishment; avoid saturated soil
• Inoculation: For best nitrogen fixation, use a suitable lupin/serradella inoculant where available.

Sowing Rate and Coverage

Seed Quantity Guide

Coverage is a guide only. Use higher sowing rates for faster cover, stronger weed suppression, poor seedbeds, exposed areas, or where bird pressure is likely.

When to Sow Lupin in Australia

How to Sow Lupin Seeds

1. Choose a sunny site with well-drained soil.
2. Remove weeds and prepare a firm seedbed.
3. Broadcast seed evenly or sow in rows 20–30 cm apart.
4. Cover seed with approximately 2–4 cm of soil.
5. Press or roll lightly for good seed-to-soil contact.
6. Water after sowing if soil moisture is low.
7. Keep moist until seedlings are established.

Management

• Keep soil moist during germination and early growth.
• Avoid waterlogged soils, especially during establishment.
• Use a suitable inoculant where nitrogen fixation is a priority.
• Cut before heavy seed set if volunteer plants are not wanted.
• Slash at early flowering for softer biomass and easier breakdown.
• Leave cut material as surface mulch in no-dig systems or incorporate as green manure.

Harvest and Incorporation

For green manure use, cut or slash Lupin at early flowering, before stems become too mature. Incorporate the chopped material into the topsoil 3–6 weeks before planting the next crop, or leave it on the surface as mulch in no-dig systems. Earlier cutting produces softer material that breaks down more quickly.

Soil Benefits and Use

Lupin is valued for nitrogen fixation, biomass production, soil structure improvement, and winter ground cover. Its roots help condition the soil, while the above-ground growth adds organic matter when chopped and returned. It is especially useful in cool-season rotations, broadacre systems, orchards, vegetable beds, and regenerative soil-building programs.

Important Notes

• Lupin performs best in well-drained soils and does not tolerate waterlogging.
• For best nitrogen fixation, use suitable lupin inoculant where available.
• Sow during cool-season growing periods rather than summer heat.
• Cut before seed set if self-sown plants are not wanted.
• Seed depth should be deeper than small-seeded clovers because lupin is a larger seed.

Quick Growing Guide