I farm south of Perth. Should I sow the northern or southern perennial grass mix?
South of Perth, sow the WA Southern Perennial Pasture Mix. It adds Amplify phalaris and kikuyu to Gatton panic and Finecut Rhodes grass, giving high winter yields from the phalaris, and both phalaris and kikuyu cope with some waterlogging.
North of Perth, the WA Northern Perennial Pasture Mix suits better: mainly Gatton panic with Katambora and Finecut Rhodes grass. Gatton doesn't tolerate waterlogging and is sensitive to frost. Both mixes are sown at 6–8 kg/ha in 300 mm-plus rainfall country, on light sands to loams.
How deep and at what rate should I sow a perennial grass mix?
Sow our perennial grass mixes at 6–8 kg/ha and no deeper than 2 cm, onto a well-prepared seedbed. Sow in spring once soil temperatures are 16–18°C and rising, with good soil moisture and a chance of follow-up rain.
Remove the weed burden before sowing, as weeds compete with new seedlings for moisture, space and nutrients. If you broadcast, drag harrows, mesh or a light rubber-tyred roller behind the seeder to improve seed-soil contact, but not on wet soils that may crust.
My new perennial grass pasture looked thin after its first summer. What went wrong?
Usually it was grazed too early, grazed too hard over summer, or short of nutrition. Sub-tropical grasses need careful management through their first summer to keep enough plants into the next year.
Don't graze until plants are well anchored, usually 8–10 months after sowing. Reduce grazing pressure over summer unless there's moisture for growth, and ease off while seed is setting so new plants can recruit from seed. Gatton panic needs good soil nutrition to persist on lighter soils, so fertilise to a soil test.
How do I stop horses pulling out a newly sown Rhodes and panic grass pasture?
Keep them off until plants are well anchored and can't be pulled easily from the soil. For our WA Northern and Southern Perennial Pasture Mixes, that means shutting the gate for 8 to 10 months after sowing, most likely until after the first autumn break.
This is especially important with horses. After the first grazing, move to a rotational system, and give the pasture a longer spell between grazings than you would a temperate pasture so it can rebuild its root reserves.
Is it safe for horses to graze panic grass and kikuyu pasture long term?
Horses can graze them, but some tropical grasses, including green panic, guinea grass and kikuyu, contain oxalates that bind calcium and, over long periods, can cause big head disease. Gatton panic is a variety of guinea grass, and kikuyu is part of our WA Southern Perennial Pasture Mix.
Rhodes grass isn't among the grasses linked to big head. Provide a balanced calcium and phosphorus mineral supplement or a good calcium source such as lucerne hay, include legumes where you can, and talk to your vet or an equine nutritionist.
My Rhodes and panic grass pasture is thinning out. How should I be grazing it?
Graze less often and leave more behind. Go in when the pasture is 25–30 cm high and graze it down to a residue of 12–15 cm, then let it recover.
Perennial grasses build root reserves as leaf accumulates, so the leaf and root left after grazing kick-start the next growth. Use a rotational system with a longer spell between grazings than a temperate pasture, reduce grazing pressure over summer unless there's moisture for growth, and don't overgraze while seed is setting.
What can I sow to stabilise a sandy road verge or mine rehabilitation site?
A summer-active perennial grass mix is a good option, because once established it keeps cover on the ground. Our WA Northern and Southern Perennial Pasture Mixes are both suited to stabilisation work such as mine rehabilitation and road verges.
Rhodes grasses spread by vigorous stolons that give excellent ground cover, and the kikuyu in the southern mix is mat-forming and very effective for erosion control. Sow in spring at 6–8 kg/ha, no deeper than 2 cm, and allow plenty of time to establish.
How do I add winter feed and nitrogen to a summer perennial grass pasture?
Introduce annual legumes such as serradella or clover. For our perennial mixes, broadcast or sow legumes in the first autumn after the pasture's first grazing, then put livestock back on to push the seed into contact with the soil.
DPIRD trials found that summer sowing hard-seeded serradella pod in February is a successful way to introduce legumes into established perennial grasses, helping address low nitrogen inputs. The southern mix also contains Amplify phalaris, which provides high winter forage yields alongside the summer-active grasses.
Will a perennial grass mix grow on country with a bit of salt?
On mildly saline country, yes. Our WA Northern and Southern Perennial Pasture Mixes are rated for mild salinity, and their Katambora and Finecut Rhodes grasses both have some salt tolerance.
For saltier ground, pick a more salt-tolerant species. Reclaimer Rhodes grass is a salt-tolerant summer-active option, while Puccinellia and Tyrrell tall wheatgrass suit saline, waterlogged areas. Have the soil salinity tested first so you can match the species to the site.
Can the phalaris in a perennial pasture mix poison livestock?
It can. Phalaris can cause phalaris staggers and, more rarely, sudden death in sheep and cattle, with risk highest when new growth starts after autumn rain on warm soils or when pasture is grazed very short.
Amplify phalaris, used in our WA Southern Perennial Pasture Mix, has lower toxicity, but still manage the risk. Feed hay before introducing hungry stock, avoid abrupt moves onto autumn growth, don't overgraze, and ask your vet about cobalt supplements, which help prevent staggers.
