To start with, Lucerne and Alfalfa are the same plant, Medicago sativa, in North America its known as Alfalfa, in Europe, Australia and the UK its Lucerne.
It is regarded as one of the best organic mulches for garden use.It helps retain moisture, moderates soil temperature helps fix nitrogen into the soil It breaks down over 6 months and if used on chopped form is very easy to spread.
What is Lucerne Mulch ?
This is simply the stems and stalks of the plant that are also used as Hay, in the garden we call it mulch.
How to apply Lucerne Mulch
You can buy Lucerne in bales or ‘chopped’ in compressed bales. The chopped variety is easier to spread than the bales, however both work in the same way.
- Weed before spreading the mulch
- Make sure the soil is moist before spreading.
- Apply at around 3-4 cm deep in vegetable gardens.
- Around ornamentals, apply at 10cm.
- Water after spreading.
- Keep the mulch away from the stems of plants.
- Use a liquid fertiliser as required.
- Mulch can be raked back to apply pelletised fertiliser.
Is Lucerne Mulch good for the soil ?
Yes it is, it is from the pea family and it fixes nitrogen in the soil. It also contains elements such as potassium, calcium, iron, folic acid and others that are good for plant growth.
It also acts to stabilise soil temperatures, it stops the low temperatures by insulating and it also reduces summer temperatures.
Like most mulches it helps with retaining soil moisture and also helps suppress weeds.
How long does it last
Around 4 – 6 months depending on soil, application rate and climate. Once it begins to break down it can be turned over or dug into the soil adding valuable organic matter (humus)
Is Lucerne Mulch better than Pea Straw.
It is a little different, mainly in the amount of nitrogen and also pea straw mulch tends to have a few more pea shoots than lucerne has seeds.
Compared to Pea Straw, it is a little slower to break down, so for short term mulch in some vegetable gardens Pea straw may be more suitable, however over all Lucerne is the number one choice.
Is Lucerne better than Sugar Cane Mulch
Compared to Sugar Cane mulch it breaks down more quickly, it also releases more nitrogen into the soil and we find it easier to spread.
So what are the problems ?
Lucerne is more expensive than some other mulches.
Consider where it comes from, mulches that are sourced from long distances are not regarded as being environmentally friendly.