What summer legume grows fast and can handle a bit of salt in the soil?
We recommend Dash Lablab as a fast-growing, high-protein summer legume, but salt tolerance is not something we list for it, so talk to us before sowing it on salt-affected ground. It is drought tolerant with good water use efficiency. Sow 10–30 kg/ha of seed inoculated with Group J once soil temperatures reach 16°C or more.
How quickly does Dash lablab get to flowering?
We recommend Dash Lablab where you need a quick lablab: it flowers well ahead of older lablab varieties, which suits shorter summer seasons. Sow inoculated seed (Group J) once soil temperatures reach 16°C or more. It recovers quickly after grazing, tolerates light frosts and can carry feed into late autumn.
What can I grow over summer to fatten lambs and cattle on high protein feed?
Dash Lablab is a good option. Lablab is a high-protein summer legume that is used for fattening cattle and lambs and for dairy production. It recovers quickly after grazing and can keep growing into late autumn. It tolerates light frosts. Sow into warm soil of 16°C or more, with inoculated seed, and graze rotationally for regrowth.
How deep can I sow lablab seed?
Lablab has a large seed and can be sown deeper than most legumes, to chase moisture. Up to about 10cm has been reported for Dash Lablab, but we suggest sowing only as deep as needed to reach moisture. Sow into warm soil of 16°C or more and inoculate the seed before sowing. Talk to us about seeding rates for your situation.
Looking for a summer cover crop that fixes nitrogen and gives lots of bulk, any ideas?
We suggest Dash Lablab. As a vigorous twining legume, lablab produces plenty of biomass and fixes nitrogen when inoculated, which makes it a useful cover crop or green manure. It is drought tolerant with good water use efficiency. Sow it on its own or with a summer grass such as our Shirohie Millet or Bounty Forage Sorghum.
Can I sow a legume with forage sorghum to make the feed better?
Yes, we suggest Dash Lablab or our cowpeas. Lablab's twining habit lets it climb the sorghum, and its higher protein lifts the overall feed quality, while the legume also adds nitrogen to the soil. Sow once soil temperatures are 16°C or higher and inoculate the seed. Talk to us about suitable rates for a mix with our Bounty Forage Sorghum.
How do I graze a summer lablab crop so it keeps coming back?
With Dash Lablab, we suggest rotational grazing and leaving enough leaf and stem for regrowth rather than grazing it into the ground. Lablab recovers quickly after grazing and can carry feed into late autumn. Introduce hungry stock gradually, as with any new legume. Avoid grazing the growing points too low, because that slows recovery.
Will a summer legume keep growing if we get some light frosts in autumn?
Dash Lablab is reported to tolerate light frosts and can keep growing into late autumn, which extends summer feed further than some other tropical legumes. Heavy frosts will still finish it off. For the best growth, sow early enough in the warm season, once soil temperatures reach 16°C or more.
Dash lablab vs cowpeas, which one should I sow?
Both are summer legumes that fix nitrogen and pair well with sorghum or millet; we suggest Dash Lablab where you want feed later into autumn, as it tolerates light frosts. Our Buff Cowpea and Ebony Cowpea establish easily, are frost susceptible and suit hay and silage mixes. Tell us your soil and rainfall and we can help you pick.
Does a summer legume crop come back next year or do I resow?
Dash Lablab is grown as an annual in WA, so we recommend resowing each season. Use inoculated seed each time, or when sowing into new ground, so it nodulates well. It is best used as a summer grazing, cover or ley crop within a rotation, where its nitrogen benefits the following winter crop.
