What is Lucerne Tree?
- Known as Tagasaste or Boom Lusern. Biological name ~ Chamaecytisus palmensis.
- Evergreen, a fast-growing tree which can reach 6m in 6 years.
- Nitrogen-fixing legume plant.
- Nutritious all year.
- Similar protein and food values to normal ground lucerne (alfalfa).
- Grows for 40+ years and will be a life-long food-producing investment on your farm.
- Extremely drought-resistant once established.
- Very tough and survives heat, strong winds, frost and cold.
- Note – We DO NOT stock the “Sheep Lucerne Trees” which refers to a hybrid called “Weeping Tagasaste”. Clients sometimes ask about different “types” of Tagasaste but the hybrid is a smaller, shrub-like version of the tree lucerne and does its seeds do not germinate nor carry the same yields.
Why plant lucerne trees?
- Doubles your land’s carrying capacity
- Recovers 50 days after grazing or pruning.
- Grazed directly off the tree.
- Highly nutritious food with the same protein values as normal lucerne.
- No danger of bloat.
- No mechanisation needed if grazed directly off the tree.
- All-year supplementary grazing.
- Excellent wind-breaks.
- Re-conditions the soil with nitrogen-fixing nodules, bringing the soil back to life.
- Abundant white, fragrant flowers which attract bees – great for fruit orchards and honey farmers.
- Prolific seeds-bearing trees.
- Develops deep tap roots which delve deep into the earth to source water, and then will not require watering after the first year and a half.
- Tree rows create a micro-climate and provide shelter from sun and wind, bring moisture through roots, as well as shade to keep moisture from evaporating & produce nitrogen for grasses that grow between rows.
- Excellent permaculture applications – everything loves to eat this food! Feed for chickens, rabbits, goats, horses, sheep and cattle.
- Plants and grazing grown between the trees grow significantly better by the 2nd year.
How does Tree Lucerne compare to normal lucerne?
- The leaves look similar.
- Just as nutritious and soft and palatable – with NO danger of bloat!
- The tree grows vertically and out sideways, there is much more food on a tree than on lucerne growing on the ground – literally a vertical green haystack!
- Normal lucerne (alfalfa) dies back or slows in winter, however, the lucerne tree thrives, especially in the winter rainfall areas.
- No cutting, raking, baling – it is ready for the animals to come browse directly from the tree.
One branch like this yields a whole handful of leaves – wonderful food for grazing animals!More information ~
- Trees are ready for grazing when about 1.5m height with stems of about 2.5cm thick. We recommend that you do NOT graze your trees for the first 18-months to 2 years.
- Sheep, cattle, goats, and horses browse and graze tree lucerne directly off the tree.
- Keep a watchful eye to check grazing off the trees and send the animals out when most the leaves are eaten.
- Leave the trees for about 50 – 60 days to recover and grow new leaves. It bounces back!
- This tree loves to be pruned and grazed. Tender, green leaves and shoots sprout all over the branches and main stem. (Read more about pruning here)
- Prune long branches to keep the tree at grazing height, about 1 to 1.5 meter high.
- Prune when young to promote more side shoots.
- Animals will stimulate fresh growth with their grazing.
- Pruned branches provide excellent fodder when chipped (read more about Chipped food) and it can be fed green and wet, or as dried fodder.
- Recommended inoculant – Ground & Cowpea Group inoculant. Contains Bradyrhyzobium sp. (Vigna) bacteria effective for nitrogen-fixation on legumes.
Please read some very informative posts ~
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Some sensible truths
- New Names? Same Tree!
- Nitrogen Fixing Nodules
- Inoculant is NOT needed
- What Why How inoculate?
- Permaculture benefits of lucerne trees
- Drought & Heat ~ Lucerne Trees Bring Relief
- Roots – your most important growth factor!
- Wonderful Feed
- Grazing Directly Off Lucerne Trees
- Fresh Green Chicken Food
- Bull Calves Feeding in Lucerne Tree Fields
- Cow and calf enjoy lucerne trees
- Video ~ Cows grazing lucerne trees
- Food for Sheep
Happy Farming!
Copyright © 2012 by Myles & Nadene Esterhuizen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher permitted by copyright law.
Lucerne Tree Farm 
Excellent Pictures Miles. You must show a few pics of the fat Dorpers!
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Are the leaves for the sheep to eat? Or do people eat them too? I’ve never heard of this tree, so I am curious. If they are for human consumption, how are they eaten? Thanks!!!
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@Jen, only grazing animals such as sheep, goats, & cattle eat the lucerne tree leaves just as they would eat grass or alfalfa.
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🙂 Alfalfa and grasses are eaten by some humans too 🙂 usually dried and powdered as a health supplement or juiced… there may be health banafits for humans in Tagasaste too.
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good morning i will like to order seeds
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@august, please fill in the form on our Prices and Orders tab on the blog and we will send you an invoice for your seeds. We have excellent lucerne tree seeds in stock. Our seeds are packed in 100’s and 1000’s. (We do not sell in kilograms.) Included in the seed pack are detailed germination instructions and some extra seeds. We post the seeds all over the world,undeclared, with registered mail and then email the client the tracking number. Please email us how many seeds you wish to order and include your full names, postal address and contact number details. We will email you an invoice with our banking or PayPal details. Once we receive your emailed payment confirmation with your invoice number as your payment reference, we will post your seeds and email you the tracking number.
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Like your website !
We tried your “recipe” for growing seeds and it works well. Should have a few seedlings to show within the next week or so ….
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@Wilhelm, we’re delighted! Post us photos of your seedlings when they come up!
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can i harvest it and feed it to pigs.
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@Nosey, yes! Pigs will graze cuttings just as they would graze normal lucerne. The nutritional value is the same as normal lucerne (alfalfa).
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Hello Myles
What a great website, thanks fro all the very usefull info. I have 2000 seedlings (7to 10cms) in seedling trays and would appreciatre a bit of advise as to what to do next. We are in Ficskburg in the Free State where temperatures in winter can drop to -10. Can I safely keep the seedlings in the trays where i can keep them indoors, to plant out in spring, or should i plant out now, or maybe transfer to bags. I am worried about them getting root bound. My land is not prepared yet, so if possible I would appreciate the time to be able to plan, prepare propelry before planting out.
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Hello Douglas,
I would definately transplant them into 1l or 2l bags and hold them over to early spring. Get your irrigation in and if possible shade cloth the area with 20% shadecloth to keep out the rabbits, and dont forget to put irrigation pipe around their stems to keep the mice away from them. Any fruit farmer will tell you that the mice love to ringbark their fruittrees. When spring comes dont delay because that amazing tap root is going to want to grow. These trees wont get root bound in one season.
Regards and God bless you
myles
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does the tree produce flowers,if so when and how often in a year,do the flowers contain any pollen or nectar??if so would you know the quality (protein) content.For bees.
Regards Ray
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Hi Ray,
The trees flower from late august to end of october where they make way for seed pods. They have scented flowers. Mine are all white flowers but they also have blue/purple flowers. They have scented flowers producing nectar for ravished bees in the late winter and early spring. I unfortunately cannot assist you with the protein levels for bees but if you type in lucerne tree honey on google you will find some helpful information. The trees can flower and bear seeds in their first year but its in their 2nd and 3rd years and on when they will impress you.
regards
myles
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Hi Myles.
Ek het lusern boompies gekry wat nog in saadlaaie is,ongeveer 5cm-12cm hoog. My gate is reeds voorberei in die veld. Met die winter om die draai,is dit raadsaam om die plantjies nou uit te plant in die veld? Ek kan hulle beskerm met doringtakke en katbos vir diere en teen temperatuur beskerm. Of is dit meer raadsaam om hulle in sakke uit te plant tot na die winter?
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It would be better to hold your small trees in bags until spring. Wait until they have stems at least pencil-thick.
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Good Day,
We like to retire in the South of Botswana. Rainfall is usuall in somer but eratic.
from April to October most years not a drop. To keep about a 100 goats what do you advice if these Lucern trees can work for us.
JP
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Hello Jeanne
The lucerne trees will give excellent grazing for your goats. I dont know what alternative grazing you have but should the lucerne tree be your only source of food then you would need about 4 hectares of lucerne trees having about 1300 trees per hectare. The trees will need to be germinated and left to grow till about 60cm in the bag and then planted out. A big sapling can withstand much. Nonetheless one will have to establish the trees with water for their first 6 months and therafter they will be rainfall dependant. Remember the bigger the tree when planting them the better the trees chances are of surviving adapting and flourishing. A tree can grow up to 1.8m tall in its first growing season.
All of the best
myles
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Hi there. Would you guys please just email me your banking details. I just want a couple of seeds to plant a hedge around my yard as a wind breaking fence. I think 100 should do. Please can you email it to jp@taa-t.co.za. Thank you very much!
Regards,
JP
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@JP, Thank you for your interest in our trees. These trees grow very fast and will make a beautuiful wind-break. We’ll send you an invoice with our banking details. Kind regards, Nadene
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Good info and Good Website some info I needed Thanks !
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hey !!! some great information tanks alot ! i am a 16 year old learner from louis trichardt . i am starting toe farm with goats and have some big plans so i was wonder will it be sustainable toe farm with about 300 goats on a 12 hectar piece of land ??? rain is a bit of a problem . ! it gets really hot on the farm we have and was wondering if that would be a problem ??? can goats and cattle graze on the same tipe of tree and in your point of view how many goats could be put on a 12 hectar piece of ground ? tanks alot really hopeing for some good news !!!=D
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@Davey, thanks for writing! Lucerne trees are able to withstand heat and drought once established. Goats and cattle can both graze on the tree. Lucerne trees supplement (add to ) your normal grazing. Hope this helps.
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Live in Nigel just outside springs in gauteng , have about 100 goats. Would like to grow on them and therefore checking for feeding options and
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@Chris Zulu, yes, we’ll email you and discuss your options.
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Why didn’t you repied on Alex de Beer’s question as I would also want to know the answer.
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Hi. If we wanted to grow the trees for the horses on a plot, how many trees per horse would be required to supplement their food and replace the need to buy baled lucerne?
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@Elke Day, lucerne trees will double your existing grazing and provide continual year-round supplementary grazing, but will not replace all your conventional bales. (Apologies for not having more specific numbers or data.)
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Great inof and website, Im breeding with miniature horses, my stud usually consist of my herd sires , 30 mares and then weanlings, ive read alot about the tree lusern and did bought some trees,they are most over 40cm, was just wondering after ive planted them must i imediately started to trim them back because most of them are already long thin trees and not growing sideways at all…I know the 130 trees that i bought isnt sufficient for green feed for them during the winter months but im sure it will, lighten the burden and expences of all the lusern i need to buy during winter.
Also, and promise last question, ive planted my trees beginning of December, will they be ready to be grace on let say about end may, like i said all the trees are 40cm and bigger already…
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@Marius, we do recommend immediate pruning, even in the potting bags, to promote side branch sprouting. You can keep the trees at about 1m. This tree loves to be pruned and grazed and will soon burst with new shoots! Lucerne trees are a real bonus in winter as they continue to grow, where the normal lucerne becomes dormant. I would recommend that you let your trees grow for at least 1 year before grazing them. You can prune them in the meantime and feed your horses the pruned branches. Happy farming!
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Hi, I am in the Alldays area were the temperatures is quite high and the rainfall is about 200mm p/year. Would like to know if the trees would adopt to the area and would like to get bigger trees to start with.
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Your trees should adapt to your area and with managed irrigation during the dry season, should be established within 2 years and become fairly drought-resistant. It always helps to plant out bigger, stronger trees.
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Hi , please could you also give me some advice on the use of the lucerne tree for game , especially Sable Antelope.
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Like all new grazing, you would need to first establish your lucerne trees in a camped-off area for up to 2 years. Thereafter, you would allow the antelope to graze in that lucerne tree camp and monitor them so that the trees are not completely denuded. After 50 to 60 days the trees should recover and be available for further grazing.
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I am doing research on tree lucern (tagasasta) planted on a farm in the Roedtan environment in the Limpopo Province. The trees are now about 6 months in the ground, and about 1m high. There are termites / ants eating the stems from below. We are now trying to find out if there have been similar problems experienced with the plant, and what is recommended in order to combat it.
So far I could not find much information about it, but hope you can be of help regarding the above problem, or that you refer me to someone who might be of help.
Thank you.
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Good day Myles,
Congrats on the great work you’re doing, I definitely see the potential to increase productivity and sustainability. We are engaged in a project with communal farmers to raise boergoats and sheep on a cooperative model in Zimbabwe with rural and communal farmers. We wanted to know how many plants per hectare you would suggest we plant. Also, do you supply seed to Zimbabwe and how do we go about ordering and making transport arrangements.
Regards,
Tawanda
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@focuszimbabwe, we recommend at least 1250 trees per hectare. Space your trees 1m apart in the row so that they form hedge rows. Your rows can be planted up to 4m apart so that you can drive a tractor in between the rows, if you need to.
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Update – calculations for tree spacing – we now recommend trees 2m apart in the rows and rows 4m apart so that you can drive tractors through the rows = 1250 trees per hectare. Please check our calculations on our Planting Trees page.
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Hi,
I am Sialuk from Kenya, i did soak the tree lucern seeds in warm water overnight but not all did swell…is that normal? as in will they germinate? i sowed the seeds in a seedbed prepared from black soil and just normal like the one prepared for carrots…. will they germinate?
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@Sialuk, you can plant all your seeds out, even if they did not all swell. Your seeds should germinate and grow well, so long as you don’t over-water them. These trees hate to stand with ‘wet roots’. Happy farming!
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@Sialuk, most of the seeds will not swell, but the hot water has broken their dormancy and they should germinate within 10 to 15 days, if the seeds are not fresh seeds. Try to avoid soil for germination, but rather use coarse river sand. Once the seeds have germinated you can plant them into a better quality soil.
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Have you any experience of chickens eating the seeds and / or leaves of tree lucerne? I’m interested to supplement my hens feed by planting tree lucerne in some of their runs.
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@Janee, hens will eat the leaves, directly off the lower branches of the tree, or fresh cuttings. You may need to first make them aware of this wonderful food by putting fresh cuttings of lucerne tree branches in their coop.
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Your new trees look beautiful, and your sheep seem very happy! 🙂
PS @Janee, my chickens eat Lucerne Tree, but I have read somewhere that the seeds can be toxic.
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Hi,
Could you please tell me the carrying capacity (for cattle and boerbok) that 100ha would yield, planted to a density of approximately 2000 trees per hectare? Thank you.
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Sorry, I forgot to add that I have eragrostis growing inbetween the rows of tree lucern, which should add to the carrying capacity?
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@Thinus, whatever your carrying capacity is on your eragrostis, fully grown trees at 3.5 to 4 years will increase your carrying capacity by another 80%. Actually this estimate is more applicable to lands established with lucerne. I believe that you should more than double your carrying capacity with your fields established under eragrostis.
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Your trees look great.
It would really be nice if you could give some more detail regarding setup cost per hectare. i.e fencing with shade cloth, drip irrigation fertilizer etc. How many sheep/lambs for instance this could support a year and therefore how soon you could make a return on your investment. I think that would be a great post.
Thanks
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@Brian, thanks, this would make a great post, as you say!
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Hi,
I have a concern. Can Tree lucernes be intercropped with grass e.g Rhodes grass? This is to maximize the use of land. Otherwhise great stuff.
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@Sialuk, Inter-planting grasses between your rows of trees is excellent, however we suggest that you first establish your trees and then plant your grasses or grazing. The grasses compete with the trees in the early stages. We have found that after the 2nd year, grasses and grazing flourishes as the trees release nitrogen from their roots and improve the soils!
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Where can I get the seeds?, M interested in planting it.
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@Jacqueline Machinya, simply place your order on our Prices & Orders page. Fill in your details on the little form and your we will email you an invoice with our banking details.
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Miles,
I need an urgent answer. I have soaked seeds what we bought from you overnight planted them in riversand and covered them with saw dust. I water them every day. After 2 days they come out. But than they do not grow wel. What do I do wrong? Or what may be the reason? After 2 months they are not even 3cm high. We bought 15000 of them. Is it the season or something else?
JP Askeur
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@Jean-Paul Askeur, I am quite certain that you did not purchase seed from us. Nonetheless advice is for free as long as you do not hold me accountable for someone else’s product.
It is a good sign that your seeds are germinating. The biggest contributor to slow growth would be the ground temperature which is a bit cold at this time of the year. The cold ground temperature is further impacted by the water which is also cold. Do not over-water your trees if they are in bags. Stand your bags on soil and not cement as this will also retard any growth. The roots will only ‘wake up’ when your ground temperature gets to about 22 degrees and then you will start to see significant growth. An outside chance can be that your seeds may have been harvested from a weak tree, but this is merely speculation.
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I have already planted a small portion of alfalfa lucern but the tree lucern sounds more promising and more reliable as you can continue harvesting for such along period of time. I do farming in Nyahururu ‘Kenya and looking forward to planting the tree lucerne. where can I buy the seeds ?
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@Gerald, welcome! We post seeds internationally. Pop over to our Orders page and fill in the form and we will receive your email and process your order.
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Where can I purchase seeds for boom lusern? I want about 100 plants around my plot in Gauteng.
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@Chris Grobler, please pop over to our Price & Order Page and fill in the form. We will email you an invoice and post your seeds once we receive your payment confirmation.
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@Chris Grobler, you can place an order on our Prices Orders page ~ https://lucernetreefarm.wordpress.com/prices-orders/ We will email you an invoice and post your seeds with registered mail.
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Hi,
how do these trees cope with frost?
Do termites like these trees?
Stephen
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@Stephen Heinz, mature trees are able to withstand frost and bounce back once pruned. Only prune the frost burnt leaves after the last frost. Young trees need to be sheltered for their first winter or only planted out in spring.
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What is the Minimum Rainfall required for Tree Lucerne to Grow Successfully even if i Put in Drip Irrigation do they need rainfall ?
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@Bernd, Trees can be established dry land in winter where there is winter rainfall and where there is no danger of frost. Otherwise, one must establish the trees with drip irrigation to see them through their first year. Thereafter the trees do well with as little as 300 mm rain per year.
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What are the PH/Soil nutrients required to successfully grow this?
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@Joanna, the trees do fine in a PH ranging from 4 to 6.5. Only if your ph is 3 to 4, then you can add a cup of lime and 1/2 a cup of phosphate to each hole when planting out your trees.
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Thank you so much!
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@Joanna, you’re so welcome!
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Lucerner is a good tree i feed my chicken with it
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@EMMANUEL, you’re right! My chickens love to eat the branches I put in their area!
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Hi Myles
I’m based in Amman , Jordan and considering Lucerne farming in a small plot which i used for the past few years for vegetable farming. I’m curious to know if the Lucerne tree can be planted in high salinity soils since my farm is near the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley ! Also would it withstand very high summer temps around 45 to 50 degrees celsius and draught conditions! How often /how much do you need to water the tree at early phase of planting and at mature age 2yrs onwards !?
Thanks & regards
Amr
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@Amr, Lucerne Trees are well-adapted to withstand high temperatures and drought once established. They will require water for their first year to 18 months. We recommend dripper irrigation which deliver 2 litres per hour. We run our drippers every 2nd day for 1 hour. Obviously, winds and temperatures may resulty in trees requiring more frequent or longer irrigation times. From 2 years on we convert to microsprayers to water the grazing between the tree rows, but we have several hectares under trees that do not have any irrigation and do very well as dry-land grazing.
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Miles, the question related to salt ??
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@Douglas, we do not recommend planting these trees in salty or brak water.
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Hi Nadene
Noticed your reply today about salty water – my question was if the tree would withstand planting in high salinity soils/and atmosphere. Our irrigation water is from a dam and its not saline.what’s your take on planting in our soil / air laden with saline moisture?
Tks
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@Amr, we have no experience of these conditions, but Myles does not think they will do well in salty water. The best is to try some trees and see how they cope in your soils and with the water you have available.
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I want to that can u harvset tree lucern ,if so how many times and can it grow all year around ,lastly how much does it costs.
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@kb, some quick answers –
1. can u harvset tree lucern? Yes, we hand-prune our trees
2. how many times? every 50 to 60 days if irrigated
3. can it grow all year around? Yes, it is evergreen
4. how much does it costs? Please look at our price list on our Prices & Orders
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Is my first time 2 read about it, I am so intersted to get more infomation about the things u must follow when u plant it especial in dry areas.
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Ek het ni n coment ma wel n paar vrae…hoe gaan ek te werke om die plante e koop..bly in noord kaap namakwaland 20 km buite springbok…met brak water werk di water met die plante en wat kos dit..my grond is effe klei michael
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@michael jonas, we sell trees. Please email us with how many trees you wish to order, your contact information and delivery address and we will send you a quote. Transport costs will depend on the distance and the number of trees ordered.
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Great stuff indeed, I live in east london and would like to know if I buy seeds will you assist with planting and transplanting tips.
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@bethwellzulu We have all out germinating and planting tips, information, photos and step-by-step instructions on our blog, but if you have any specific questions we have not covered here, please email us ans we willdo our best to assist you.
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Hi
May I plant the seeds directly into the 4L bags with sand and soil mixture after soaking? I did this for Moringa trees and it worked fine.
After transplanting in the field, How often do I have to apply manure or fertilizer?
I am in Limpopo and planning to try on a 1ha field.
Regards
Dumisani
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@Dumisani You can plant your seeds directly into your potting bags. Because they develop long tap roots, a large potting bag will give them space to grow. We put bone meal and a cup of potassium in each hole when we plant out our saplings in the land. It will be good to fertilize your trees each season. Wishing you the very best with your project!
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Hi
How many goats or sheets may I keep having 1ha field of lurcene trees.
Regards
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@Dumisani We cannot accurately calculate actual numbers because of the variables that differ, but you can definitely double your carrying capacity from a normal field, i.e. If your 1ha could carry 100 sheep for 4 days before most the grasses were eaten, a 1ha field with rows of trees and grasses can carry the same 100 sheep for 8 to 10 days.
This is because the trees enrich your grasses with their nitrogen-fixing roots. The rows of trees provide a microclimate that keep moisture in the soils for longer due to their shade which slows evaporation, and the trees provides wind protection. This is most evident after 2 years on.
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Hi, do these trees grow well in tropical or subtropical areas? Thanks
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@Phil The lucerne tree is a pioneer plant and does well in most climates and conditions, however it does not do well in perpetual wet soils with poor drainage, in dense clay or high water-table areas. It hates to sit with wet roots!
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I have a deer ranch in Texas (USA). Will the trees grow here. If so, what is the best way to get started ?
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@Phil McClure We have sold seeds to clients in the USA and have one recommendation – the lucerne tree is a pioneer plant and does well in most climates and conditions, however it does not do well in perpetual wet soils with poor drainage, in dense clay or high water-table areas, so this would be your most important guideline.
We have excellent lucerne tree seeds in stock. Our seeds are packed in 100’s and 1000’s. (We do not sell in kilograms.) Included in the seed pack are detailed germination instructions that we successfully use ourselves and some extra seeds. We post the seeds all over the world,undeclared, with registered mail and then email the client the tracking number. Please pop over to our Prices and Orders page and tell us how many seeds you wish to order and include your full names, postal address and contact number details. We will email you an invoice with our banking or PayPal details. Please check that your contact information is correct on this invoice. Please note that we will not refund seeds uncollected or returned from the post office. Once we receive your emailed payment confirmation with your invoice number as your payment reference, we will post your seeds and email you the tracking number. You will find plenty of germination and planting information, step-by-step instructions and detailed photos on our website ~ http:/lucernetreefarm.wordpress.com.
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Hi I’m looking at growing some lucerne trees. I am in Australia. I have deep red scrub soil with 32 inches predominantly summer rain fall with winter frost occasionally down to-5 c I am planning to plant in north south rows. Do you think my country will suit. I will check the PH I would expect it to be acid. What is the optimum range. The information on this site is most helpful. Cheers
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@Russell Klein, I am sure the lucerne tree will do well in your country as Australia leads the world in its use and application of lucerne trees in farming practices. These are pioneer plants and cope with most conditions except dense clay soils or water-logged areas. They thrive in well-drained soils.
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Hi i’am interested in planting this lurcen trees, and i stay in polokwane (limpopo), it is hot there.
How can i get the seeds for the trees or ready trees
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@Sylvan, Thank you for your interest in our seeds. Your trees should do well in Limpopo, so long as they are planted in spring, watered regularly during dry seasons and protected from severe frost while still young saplings.
Please pop over to our Prices & Orders page to fill in the contact form with your order details and we will email you and invoice with our banking details. Unfortunately we cannot deliver to your area due to excessive transport costs.
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Hi
Can it be cut and pressed into cubes like ordinary lusern?
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@Annelie, You can cut, chip or hammermill lucerne trees to store, dry, ferment or form pellets. These trees will provide much more tonnage when pruned and processed than when grazed directly from the trees.
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Hi , where can I get lucern tree seed or seedlings in Eastern Cape
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@Batie Paliso Thank you for your interest in our lucerne seeds & trees. Please place your order on our Prices & Orders Page and we will email you to make all the arrangements to send you seeds or trees.
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Hi I have been trying to germinate tree lucern seeds without success.I started by soaking them in hot water but when I sow the they all rot.Which is the best practice to germinate them successful?
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@Jacob For the best success, you should follow our germination instructions exactly. These seeds will rot if –
1. You sand mixture is not coarse, well-drained sand and it stays too wet. Do not use potting soil or compost.
2. If you over-water your seeds. Only keep them damp and not too wet.
Please reorder your seeds and try again following our tried and tested methods.
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Hello,
My name is Helen, i live in victoria Australia and have just dicovered your awesome website. We also have black agus beef cattle- 1st year.
I need some help and you have probably been asked this question before however i need you to “dumb it down” quite a bit for me! My question is, How many lucerne trees per head of cow would you need assuming that these cow are pregnant and will have offspring to feed up before sale- so cow & calf?
Can you please let me know asap as it is early spring here and i need to prep land.
Yours Sincerely
Mrs Helen Buchanan
“Woodburn”
Australia
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@Helen Buchanan It is difficult to say exactly how many trees you need per cow because there are so many variables. It is best to calculate trees per hectare and, once your trees have been properly established and are at least 2 years old, your carrying capacity will double on a hectare. In other words, one hectare of normal ground lucerne will feed your cows let’s say for 3 days (just an example) before the grazing is eaten. A hectare with 2-year-old lucerne trees, the cows can graze for say 6-8 days. They will still eat the grasses, and will then also browse and graze the trees. A hectare of trees normally has about 1200 trees if you follow our spacing calculations. I hope that this explanation helps.
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Thanks for your help, Nadene.
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Hello Nadene. I just what to find out what would be the best spacing between the trees when planting them over ?
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We recommend planting 2m – 2.5m apart in the rows with the rows 4m apart. You can read all the info here – https://lucernetreefarm.wordpress.com/planting-trees/
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Hi can you please advise me are these trees safe for horse consumption they wont cause any issues with horses grazing them
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Horses love lucerne trees! It is quite safe for them to browse as lucerne trees do not have any danger of causing bloat. The nutritional value of lucerne trees is the same as normal alfalfa. Some horsey experts have commented that it may make horses “hot”, but we have not experienced this with our horses.
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Hello. Would tree lucern do o.k. under an old oak tree. I need a green screen along a fence, but most things just can’t compete with a nearby oak. Thanks. Rob
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Hi @robyn davidson, lucerne trees make amazing companion trees and form symbiotically beneficial relationships with other plants, making them ideal for food forests and permaculture applications. We inter-plant our lucerne trees with young oak trees and they seem very happy. Planting under an old, large oak tree may require a little more care when supplementing the soil in the hole with phosphates and compost.
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THANK YOU NADINE.
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I’m in Texas. How can I get a start of Lucerne ?
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Hello @Phil McClure, we do post seeds undeclared with registered mail, however, due to Covid-19 restrictions still in place in South Africa, the post office is not yet able to send or deliver mail. If you place an order with us – https://lucernetreefarm.wordpress.com/orders/, we can process your order and have your seeds ready to ship the moment the mailing system is back on track.
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Hi Nadene.
I friend of mine in the Eastern Cape district of South Africa say her trees are dying. That is a relatively dry area with rain occurring year round, I seem to remember. Any ideas? thanks so much.
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@Richard, it is so difficult to say why your friends trees are dying. Usually it is due to poorly drained soil, water-logged soils or some form of root issue. Some trees die after prolonged days of heavy rains where the roots become waterlogged. Trees can also die due to too little water, or after over-producing flowers and seeds, or after extreme grazing or pruning. Some trees’ leaves turn yellow and fall which is usually a sign of a lack of phosphates in the soil. If your friend does not have water-related issues, I would suggest that they look at pruning back their trees by a third and adding some phosphates to the soil around the roots.
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Is it possible to rescue a tree which has received too much water? We have a tree which needs to be moved as it’s in a spot which becomes water logged, and we’ve had a lot of rain this winter (in New Zealand). It now looks like it’s nearly dead, after flowering and producing seed pods. Thanks for any help.
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@Karyn,
Sadly, I am afraid that lucerne trees often fail when they become waterlogged or receive too much water for too long. They don’t respond well to being transplanted, which makes their chances of any survival even slimmer. It is sad to lose a tree that already flowered and produced seeds.
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