Spring seeding 2025

The Ultimate Summer Mix: A Strategic Seeding for Soil Health and Summer Feed

This spring seeding season, the focus is clearly on a powerful combination of high-quality forage and deep soil improvement. By combining the strengths of an annual grass, a deep-rooted herb, and two types of clover, the new paddock mix is set up for success both above and below the ground this summer.

 

The newly sown mix includes:

  • Shirohie Millet (Annual Summer Grass)​

  • Sixpoints Chicory (Perennial Herb)

  • Red Clover (Perennial Legume)

  • Haifia White Clover (Perennial Legume)

     

A Multi-Pronged Approach to Soil and Feed

The selection of these four species creates a diverse pasture that is specifically engineered to bridge the summer feed gap while actively working to improve soil health and structure.

1. The Deep-Rooted Soil Breaker: Chicory

The addition of Sixpoints Chicory is the secret weapon against compacted ground. Chicory is renowned for its deep tap root system, which can delve several metres into the soil profile. This is crucial because:

  • Breaks Compaction: The tap root acts like a natural subsoiler, physically breaking up any hardpans or compaction that may be present, allowing for better water infiltration and aeration.

     

  • Accesses Deep Moisture: This deep rooting ability also allows the plant to draw on subsoil water reserves, making it highly drought-tolerant and providing quality feed even as other species struggle in the summer heat.

     

2. The Fibrous Foundation: Millet

Complementing the deep tap root of the chicory is the fibrous root system of the Shirohie Millet. As a fast-growing, high-yielding annual summer grass, the millet offers:

  • Soil Health & Structure: The dense, fibrous root mass near the soil surface helps to bind the topsoil, preventing erosion and significantly contributing to soil organic matter. This feeds soil microbes and improves overall soil structure.

  • Quick, Safe Feed: Shirohie millet is known for its fast establishment and is safe to graze at all stages (as it does not contain prussic acid), providing a quick, palatable, and high-quality forage source early in the season.

3. Nitrogen Powerhouse: The Clovers

The inclusion of both Red Clover and Haifia White Clover completes the mix by adding a vital nutrient component:

  • Natural Fertiliser: Both varieties are legumes, meaning they work with rhizobia bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil. This nitrogen is then naturally available to the companion species (the millet and chicory), reducing the need for applied nitrogen fertiliser.

     

  • Dual Grazing Benefits:

    • Red Clover is a short-lived perennial that offers higher bulk and yield, providing a great source of protein and fibre.

       

    • Haifa White Clover is a highly persistent, dense, stoloniferous clover that forms a low-growing, resilient ground cover, maintaining forage quality through the warmer months and improving overall pasture persistence.

A Balanced Diet for Livestock

The diverse root structure is a win for the soil, and the diverse mix of species is a win for the grazing animals. This millet/chicory/clover mix provides a balanced diet of:

  • Fibre from the Shirohie Millet.

  • Protein and Energy from the Clovers.

  • Minerals and Nutrients from the deep-mining Chicory.

Overall, this strategic spring seeding ensures not only a high-quality, resilient summer feed source but also implements a low-cost, natural strategy for improving the long-term health and structure of the paddock's soil.