| Tagasate Uses And Management |
Some general pieces of information on Tagasate are:
- scientific name Chamaecytisus palmensis
- also known as tree lucerne (not to be confused with the yellow flowering tree lupin Lupinus arboreous)
- suitable as a nurse crop for native plant regeneration
- rapid growth rate which provides quick ground cover and suppresses weeds
- short lived (15-18 years) and will give way to an emerging native canopy
- a legume and nitrogen fixer
- suitable for planting on degraded soils
- tolerates dry sites
- tolerates pH ranging from 5.5 to 7.5
- native birds and bees feed on the mass of white flowers which bloom from June to September when other food sources are less abundant
- coppicing species that produces high quality firewood
- ideal as secondary species in shelterbelts
- useful as a hedgerow
- can produce up to 13.7 tonnes of edible dry matter for stock fodder when planted as a 2500 sph crop nutritional value comparable to ryegrass/white clover or lucerne hay
When planting Tagasate, please consider the following points:
- seedlings should be at least 25 cm high with a stem diameter at the root-collar of 5-7 mm
- seeds are easy to grow and should be collected off of local plants from February onwards
- the hard coat of the seed needs to be scarified (dropped into boiling and left to cool overnight) to assist germination
- seeds should be innoculated with the nitrogen-fixing rhizobium or stock should be dipped in a prepared solution available from nurseries or made with the crushed nodules of existing plants
- Tagasate grown in amongst gorse will naturally acquire the resident rhizobium
- nodules should be present on seedling roots indicating the presence of the rhizobium prior to planting
- seeds can be broadcast sown directly into the area using 10-20 g/m2 but requires extensive control of competing plants and pests, thinning of seedlings and protection from frost
- good control of competing plants is essential for the establishment of seedling trees eg spot spray with herbicides such as 10 ml/l Glyphosphate (36 % a.i.) or 25 ml/l Terbuthylazine (50 % a.i.) but not anything with clopyralid (eg Versatill) or dichlobenil (eg Prefix)
- some fertilisation with 100 g/ha superphosphate (0-10-0-11) will help initial growth in seedlings
- Tagasate is highly palatable to rabbits, hares, wallabies and possums and pest control is required prior to planting and until plants are of sufficient size
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