Vineyard & Orchard Inter-Row Seed Mix

Sow a mix that gives reliable ground cover and feeds the soil. Our Interow Mix blends perennial and annual ryegrasses, Saia oats, tillage radish, and sub and aerial seeded clovers. It suppresses weeds, grows quickly to reduce erosion, provides bulk for mulching and attracts beneficial insects, especially bees, while its legumes supply nitrogen. It has been used successfully in WA vineyards and orchards, and suits 500 mm or more of rainfall on sands through to heavy soils.

Sow Interow Mix at 25–35 kg/ha, calculated on the area you actually sow rather than the whole block. If you only sow the mid-rows, compare the sown strip width to the row spacing: a 2 m strip in 3 m rows, for example, is about two-thirds of the block. Higher rates increase competition with weeds, reducing the weed burden and the need for early herbicide. Sow into soil with a pH (CaCl2) of 5 or above.

It can if it's left tall at budburst, but mowing manages that. Wine Australia research found cover crop choice doesn't need to be driven by frost risk; best practice is to sow the cover that suits the vineyard and mow it low before budburst, which gave vine temperatures similar to cultivation. The AWRI advises against cultivating cover crops in before budburst, as it dries the soil and reduces its ability to store heat. A moist, firm, closely mown floor is the goal.

Let it set seed in spring. Interow Mix regenerates if allowed to go to seed, but cutting it for mulch before seed set can reduce regeneration the following year. AusVic perennial ryegrass in the mix is a prolific seeder, Riverina sub clover is self-regenerating, and arrowleaf clover is hard seeded. Crimson clover is soft seeded, so expect it to contribute less in later years. If you mow before budburst, let the regrowth flower and set seed before the next cut.

It can, so species choice and management matter. Wine Australia notes that cover crop selection and management can significantly affect vineyard productivity and grape quality. Mowing or rolling reduces the cover's water use and leaves a protective mulch on the soil surface. Much of Interow Mix is annual: the oats, annual ryegrass and most clovers finish by late spring as soils dry, though arrowleaf clover grows on into early summer. Keep the strip under the vines or trees clear, and cut the mid-row for mulch when water gets tight.

Grow flowering cover in the inter-rows. Interow Mix is designed to attract beneficial insects, especially bees, which can help control insect pests. It flowers from about August to November, and its clovers are staggered: crimson clover flowers earlier and arrowleaf clover later, spreading flowering across the season. To keep flowers available, avoid mowing every row at once. Mowing alternate rows leaves some cover in flower while you manage the rest.

Sow a fast-establishing cover and keep the soil covered through winter. Interow Mix grows quickly to reduce erosion, with Saia oats establishing very fast and producing bulk from autumn through to spring. Mowing or rolling the cover, rather than cultivating it, leaves residue that protects the soil from raindrop impact. DPIRD recommends more than 70% ground cover where water erosion is a concern. Sow from autumn into winter so the cover is up before the heaviest rain.

Yes, Interow Mix can be grazed. In vineyards, sheep usually graze the floor over winter while vines are dormant and are taken out in spring before budburst, controlling weeds and cycling nutrients as they go. Before bringing sheep in, check re-entry and withholding periods for any chemicals you've applied, and remember sheep can carry weeds and phylloxera between properties. Avoid grazing when soils are saturated to limit compaction.

Sow Interow Mix from autumn into winter, once there's adequate soil moisture and follow-up rain is likely. Before sowing, get a soil test, spray out existing weeds, and prepare a good seedbed. Choose a sowing method that gives good seed-to-soil contact, and fertilise to help germination and establishment. Afterwards you can leave it to stand as a cover crop, cut it for mulch, or graze it.

Usually, if the soil pH (CaCl2) is 5 or above. Interow Mix suits sands through to heavy soils, though not the lightest sands, in areas with 500 mm or more of rainfall. Arrowleaf clover in the mix performs well in acid sands, and Saia oats have good tolerance of acid soils. If your soil test shows a pH below 5, apply lime well ahead of sowing.