What's a quick establishing legume for acid sandy soils in the northern agricultural region?
We recommend Eliza Serradella, a soft-seeded, pink-flowered French serradella with more early vigour than Cadiz Serradella. It tolerates low pH soils and suits light sands to loams in 350mm+ rainfall areas. It's early flowering, at about 80 days in Perth, and carries a low bloat risk.
Why are serradella sowing rates so high compared to clover?
Because much of what you're sowing is pod. With Eliza Serradella, about 60% of the weight is pod rather than seed, so we recommend 10 to 20 kg/ha to get enough plants established. Sow into moist soil with Group G inoculant so it nodulates well.
How can I stretch out the growing season on deep sand?
A deep-rooted legume helps. Eliza Serradella develops deep roots on deep sandy soils, which can extend its growing season by reaching moisture lower in the profile. It also has strong early vigour, tolerates low pH and suits 350mm+ rainfall areas.
Is there a pasture legume that won't give my cattle bloat?
Serradella is a good choice, and our Eliza Serradella is rated low bloat risk. It's a vigorous, soft-seeded French serradella for acid sandy soils with 350mm+ rainfall. As with any new feed, introduce stock gradually, and note that sheep new to serradella can be hesitant at first.
What's a short season legume that flowers early for low rainfall country?
Eliza Serradella flowers in about 80 days in Perth, making it one of the quickest serradellas we stock and a good fit where the season finishes early. It suits 350mm+ rainfall and tolerates low pH. If you need hard seed for regeneration, look at Fran₂o French Serradella or Serramax Serradella instead.
Can serradella handle really acidic soil?
Yes. Eliza Serradella tolerates lower pH soils, and serradellas are well adapted to acid ground. It suits light sands through to loams in 350mm+ rainfall zones and has good early vigour. We recommend inoculating with Group G at sowing so it nodulates well.
What should I mix with serradella for a grazing pasture on sand?
We recommend pairing serradella with ryegrass and other acid-tolerant legumes. With Eliza Serradella, we'd suggest Achieve Diploid Italian Ryegrass or Wimmera Annual Ryegrass, plus a hard-seeded legume such as Casbah Biserrula or Santorini Yellow Serradella to help with regeneration. Our Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends can put this together for your paddock.
Will a soft seeded serradella come back next year?
Soft-seeded serradellas like Eliza Serradella germinate readily from the pod but hold little hard seed, so Eliza will not regenerate after a cropping phase and suits a pasture phase instead. For reliable regeneration, we recommend a hard-seeded option such as Margurita French Serradella, Santorini Yellow Serradella or Serramax Serradella.
Is Eliza Serradella better than Cadiz?
Eliza Serradella is an improved variety with more early vigour than Cadiz Serradella, so it gets away faster early in the season. Both are soft-seeded, pink-flowered French serradellas suited to acid soils. Eliza flowers in about 80 days in Perth, and we recommend sowing it in pod at 10 to 20 kg/ha.
Can I make hay or silage from Eliza Serradella?
We position Eliza Serradella as a grazing pasture rather than a hay or silage crop. Its early vigour and deep roots on sandy soils suit grazing on acid sands. If hay or silage is your goal, we recommend Fran₂o French Serradella or Cadiz Serradella, which are listed for grazing, silage and hay. Talk to us about your plans.
