GREEN MANURE Vetch ‘Popany’ Seeds
Botanical name: Vicia sativa
Popany Vetch is a vigorous, nitrogen-fixing legume ideal for use as a green manure crop. It adds valuable organic matter to the soil, improves fertility, and supports sustainable farming practices. Often sown with oats or other cereals for support, Popany Vetch is also known to attract beneficial insects and suppress weeds. Excellent for use in temperate and subtropical regions during the cooler months.
Key Benefits:
- Fixes nitrogen, improving soil fertility for future crops.
- Suppresses weed growth and helps retain soil moisture.
- Adds organic matter and improves soil structure.
- Breaks up compacted soil and boosts microbial activity.
- Adaptable and hardy, ideal for green manure and cover cropping rotations.
Growing Popany Vetch in Australia:
Popany Vetch is widely grown across Australia as a cool-season legume, suited to a variety of soil types and climates. Here’s how to grow it successfully:
- Sow at a rate of 5–10 kg per hectare when used as a cover crop.
- Ideal planting window: Autumn to early Spring.
- Medium to late maturity—allow time for full biomass development before incorporation.
- Produces pale purple flowers and dense ground coverage.
- Contains some hard seed (10–20%), providing natural regeneration in some systems.
- Tolerates a wide range of soils, including loamy and clay-based soils.
- Performs well under moderate rainfall and variable seasonal conditions.
