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Organic Matter Summer Green Manure Mix
Botanical Names: Millet, Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Lablab (Lablab purpureus), Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria juncea), Brassica spp., Tillage Radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus), Clover (Trifolium spp.), Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea)
Organic Matter Summer Mix is a warm-season green manure and cover crop blend designed to build soil organic matter, improve soil structure, suppress weeds, and support nitrogen fixation during the warmer months. This diverse mix combines fast-growing biomass crops, nitrogen-fixing legumes, flowering plants, and deep-rooted soil improvers to help restore tired or bare soil between crop rotations.
Ideal for vegetable gardens, orchards, food forests, paddocks, broadacre rotations, and regenerative farming systems, this mix provides rapid summer ground cover while feeding soil biology and improving long-term soil health. It can be chopped and incorporated as green manure or cut and left on the soil surface as mulch in no-dig systems.
- Warm-season green manure mix for building organic matter and soil fertility.
- Includes legumes such as cowpea, lablab, clover, butterfly pea, and sunn hemp for nitrogen fixation.
- Fast-growing species such as millet, buckwheat, and sunn hemp produce quick biomass and weed suppression.
- Deep-rooted tillage radish and brassica help improve soil structure, drainage, and nutrient cycling.
- Flowering species support bees, pollinators, and beneficial insects.
- Suitable for vegetable beds, orchards, food forests, paddocks, fallow areas, and regenerative systems.
- Best grown in warm, frost-free conditions with reliable moisture.
Plant Details
- Mix Type: Multi-species warm-season green manure and cover crop blend
- Main Uses: Organic matter, nitrogen fixation, weed suppression, soil conditioning, pollinator support, and summer ground cover
- Growth Habit: Mixed grasses, legumes, brassicas, broadleaves, and flowering species
- Root Benefits: Combines fibrous roots, legume roots, taproots, and deep-rooted soil improvers
- Best Position: Full sun to light shade
- Frost Tolerance: Low; this is a warm-season mix
- Coverage: Approx. 100–200 m² per kg depending on sowing rate and conditions
Best Uses
- Summer green manure
- Warm-season cover cropping
- Building soil organic matter
- Nitrogen fixation and soil fertility improvement
- Weed suppression and bare soil protection
- Vegetable garden rotations
- Orchard and food forest inter-rows
- Broadacre and paddock soil improvement
- No-dig chop-and-drop mulch
- Regenerative farming and soil-building blends
Mix Benefits
| Plant Group | Role in the Mix |
|---|---|
| Millet, Buckwheat & Sunn Hemp | Fast biomass, weed suppression, quick ground cover, and organic matter. |
| Cowpea, Lablab, Clover, Butterfly Pea & Sunn Hemp | Support nitrogen fixation when compatible rhizobia are present. |
| Tillage Radish & Brassica | Help break compacted soil, recycle nutrients, and improve water movement. |
| Buckwheat & Butterfly Pea | Provide flowers for bees, pollinators, and beneficial insects. |
Sowing Information
- Best Sowing Time: Spring to summer once soil is warm and frost risk has passed
- Germination Time: Approximately 3–14 days depending on species, soil temperature, and moisture
- Sowing Depth: 5–20 mm; avoid burying small seeds too deeply
- Position: Full sun for maximum biomass and flowering
- Soil Type: Suitable for a wide range of soils; performs best in well-drained soil with good seed-to-soil contact
- Watering: Keep soil moist until established; irrigate during dry periods if needed
- Sow Where: Garden beds, paddocks, fallow blocks, orchards, food forests, inter-rows, and broadacre rotations
- Inoculation: Legume components may benefit from suitable inoculant for improved nitrogen fixation.
Sowing Rate and Coverage
| Use | Sowing Rate | Approx. Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Green Manure | 5 g per m² | 1 kg covers approx. 200 m² |
| Dense Biomass / Weed Suppression | 8–10 g per m² | 1 kg covers approx. 100–125 m² |
| Large Areas / Broadacre | 50–100 kg per hectare | Use higher rates for faster cover and more biomass |
Seed Quantity Guide
| Seed Pack Size | Standard Coverage | Dense Biomass Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 250 g | Approx. 50 m² | Approx. 25–30 m² |
| 500 g | Approx. 100 m² | Approx. 50–60 m² |
| 1 kg | Approx. 200 m² | Approx. 100–125 m² |
| 5 kg | Approx. 1,000 m² | Approx. 500–625 m² |
| 10 kg | Approx. 2,000 m² | Approx. 1,000–1,250 m² |
Coverage is a guide only. Use higher rates for fast canopy closure, stronger weed suppression, poor soil, exposed sites, dry conditions, or areas with bird pressure.
When to Sow Organic Matter Summer Mix in Australia
| Climate Zone | Best Planting Time | Suitability | Growing Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical | Warm season; often early wet season where drainage is good | Good | Avoid waterlogged soils and severe wash-off during heavy rain. |
| Subtropical | Spring to early autumn | Excellent | Ideal warm-season soil-building mix for rapid biomass. |
| Temperate | Late spring to midsummer | Very good | Sow after frost risk has passed and soil has warmed. |
| Cool | Late spring to midsummer | Moderate | Needs a warm, frost-free growing window for best results. |
| Arid | After rain or with irrigation in warm months | Moderate with moisture | Requires irrigation or reliable rainfall for establishment and biomass production. |
How to Sow Organic Matter Summer Mix
- Choose a sunny position and remove existing weeds.
- Prepare a fine, firm seedbed with good seed-to-soil contact.
- Broadcast seed evenly at the recommended sowing rate.
- Lightly rake or cover seed with approximately 5–20 mm of soil.
- Press or roll the surface gently to improve seed contact.
- Water well and keep moist until seedlings are established.
- Allow the mix to grow until useful biomass is produced, then chop and incorporate or leave as mulch.
Management
- Keep soil moist during germination and establishment.
- Irrigate during dry periods if strong biomass growth is desired.
- Cut before heavy seed set if volunteer plants are not wanted.
- Chop at early to mid flowering for a balance of biomass and easier breakdown.
- Leave cut material as surface mulch in no-dig systems.
- Allow 2–6 weeks for decomposition before planting sensitive seedlings or transplants.
Harvest and Incorporation
For green manure use, mow, slash, or flail the mix when plants have produced strong biomass or when most species reach early to mid flowering. Incorporate the chopped material into the soil 2–6 weeks before planting the next crop, or leave it on the surface as mulch for no-dig systems. Softer, younger material breaks down faster, while mature stems provide longer-lasting mulch.
Soil Benefits and Use
Organic Matter Summer Mix is designed to improve soil health through plant diversity, fast biomass production, nitrogen fixation, root activity, and ground cover. The mix helps protect bare soil from heat, erosion, and weed pressure while adding carbon-rich organic matter when cut and returned to the soil. Deep-rooted species assist with compaction relief and nutrient cycling, while legumes support soil fertility when compatible rhizobia are present.
Important Notes
- This is a warm-season mix and should be sown after frost risk has passed.
- Species performance will vary depending on climate, rainfall, soil type, sowing time, and management.
- Use higher sowing rates when fast cover and weed suppression are priorities.
- Cut before seed set if self-seeding is not wanted.
- Legume species may benefit from suitable inoculant for improved nitrogen fixation.
- If using as forage, manage carefully and avoid overgrazing. Suitability can vary depending on livestock type and growth stage.
Quick Growing Guide
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Product Type | Warm-season organic matter and green manure seed mix |
| Best Uses | Green manure, cover crop, organic matter, soil improvement, weed suppression |
| Germination | Approx. 3–14 days depending on species and conditions |
| Sowing Depth | Approx. 5–20 mm depending on seed size |
| Sunlight | Full sun to light shade; full sun gives best biomass |
| Water Needs | Moisture needed for establishment; irrigate in dry conditions |
| Growth Period | Approx. 6–10 weeks for useful biomass, depending on climate and season |
| Coverage | Approx. 100–200 m² per kg depending on sowing rate |
| Incorporation | Chop at early to mid flowering and incorporate or leave as mulch |
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Organic Matter Summer Green Manure Mix Australia
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Buy Organic Matter Summer Mix in Australia. Warm-season green manure blend for soil organic matter, nitrogen fixation and weed suppression.
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