I've got an odd paddock that none of the off-the-shelf pasture mixes really suit. Can I get a blend made up just for my place?
Yes. Our Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends are built around your farm. Tell us your soil type, pH, rainfall, climate, livestock and what you want from the pasture, and our team will select a combination of proven pasture grasses, legumes and forage species to match, whether you're establishing a new paddock, renovating, cutting hay or silage, or grazing.
What info should I have ready before asking a seed supplier to design a pasture mix for my farm?
We recommend bringing a recent soil test, your average annual rainfall, the soil types involved and your main livestock. It also helps to know whether you want grazing, hay or silage, and whether the paddock waterlogs, is acidic, saline or frost-prone. With that, our team can tailor Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends to fit your paddock rather than an average one.
I run horses on a small block near Perth. Can I get a pasture blend without the clover-heavy stuff that makes them too fat?
Yes. With Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends, our team can leave out or cut back species you don't want, such as clover-heavy components, and build around species better suited to horses. Our Equi1st Pasture Mix, formulated specifically for horses with low sugar, low starch and moderate protein, is a good starting point. For horses with special dietary needs, check with your vet too.
We've got sandy gravel ridges and heavier flats in the same paddock out Great Southern way. What seed mix handles both?
We recommend Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends, which let us spread the risk across species suited to each soil. For example, serradella copes with acidic sands while sub clovers and ryegrass suit heavier ground, and combining early and later maturing varieties helps across a variable season. Send us your soil test and rainfall so our team can pick the right components.
Is it worth mixing annual and perennial species together in one sowing, or should I keep them separate?
It can work well, and Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends are a good way to do it. Annuals like ryegrass give quick early feed, while perennials build persistence over the following years if there is enough summer moisture. The right balance depends on your rainfall, soil and grazing plans, so we recommend talking to our team before choosing ratios.
How much seed per hectare should I sow if I'm getting a blend made up to order?
The sowing rate for Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends depends entirely on which species go in, because small-seeded clovers and large-seeded oats or peas are sown at very different rates. Our team will recommend a rate for your specific blend when we put it together. As a general rule, higher rainfall and better seedbeds support higher rates.
Can a custom blend include cover crop species like radish and legumes as well as pasture?
Yes. Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends can combine pasture grasses and legumes with cover crop species such as tillage radish, vetch, field peas or cereal rye. This suits growers who want soil structure, nitrogen and green manure benefits plus some grazing. If a ready-made option fits your goals, we also offer Cover Crop Plus Winter Mix and Cover Crop Plus Summer Mix.
Can a Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blend be coated or inoculated?
Yes. Legumes in Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends should be inoculated with the correct rhizobia group for each species, such as Group C for sub clovers or Group E for vetch and field peas, so they fix nitrogen properly. Several of our ready-made mixes are coated with biological BioNPK Powder S, and our team can discuss whether that coating suits your blend.
Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends vs one of your standard pasture mixes, which should I pick?
If one of our standard mixes, such as Western Annual Mix, SouWest Pasture Mix or Self Regeneration Mix, already matches your rainfall and soils, it is usually the simplest option. Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends make sense when your paddock, livestock or production goals don't fit those blends. Our team is happy to compare both with you before you order.
How long does a Mix & Match custom pasture blend take, and when should I order for autumn sowing?
We recommend ordering Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends well ahead of the autumn break, because each blend is tailored to your requirements and some varieties can be in limited supply. Ordering early also gives you time to sort out inoculation and fertiliser. Contact our team with your soil, rainfall and goals and we'll confirm availability and timing.
