Old Man Saltbush for Qld Nsw Vic Act Only

GO TO: Polyphenols from Saltbush and Olive Oil STORY 
GO TO: SUPER MULCH MAKER Method with SALTBUSH (STORY) 
GO TO: Old Man Saltbush SEED for SALE 

GO TO: Saltbush for Lambs and Calves RESEARCH
GO TO: Saltbush for Finishing Cattle RESEARCH

Place ORDER at Bottom of Page Delivered to your Door/Post Office

BOXES of 9 + (42 with Tray) + (84 with 2 Trays) FOREST TUBES

BOXES of (20 with Tray) in SUPER TUBES

BOX of 20 Super Tubes (weight of box is 15 kg) up to 400 mm Tall inc Tube (With Tray)  = $166 Delivered (ORDER at Bottom of Page) 

Box of 42 Forest Tubes with Tray 200mm Tall inc Tube $162 Delivered (Box Weight is 12kg) Order at Bottom of Page for Auspost Delivery. PLUS 1000 Old Man Saltbush Seeds with Detailed Propagation Notes (OR Use Seeds as a Topping on Cheese)

Box of 84 Forest Tubes with 2 Trays 200mm Tall inc Tube  = $322 Delivered PLUS 1000 Old Man Saltbush Seeds.

Box of 9 Forest Tubes $72 Delivered ORDER at Bottom of Page.

READY NOW to ORDER at Bottom of Page + FREE Green Leaf Fodder Legume Seed with Every Saltbush Order (See Below) +++ OPTION to ADD 90% Viable Saltbush SEED to your ORDER $3.60 per 200 Seeds in Sealed Plastic Container (NO DELIVERY FEE for SEED with SEEDLINGS). IF You Want to Buy Seed in Larger Quantities GO TO SEED LINK ABOVE for BEST SEED RATES OR BUY BOX OF 42 + 84 Saltbush with 1000 Saltbush Seeds. 

Following FREE SEED SAMPLES with EVERY Saltbush ORDER Boxes of 9 + 16 + 20 + 42 + 84 = Includes a Green Leaf Fodder Sample Kit with Butterfly Pea (100 Seeds) + Hugh Desmanthus (500 Seeds) + Leucaena (100 Seeds) + Lucerne (500 Seeds) = Green Leaf Fodder is grown as Green Leaf for Chickens + Turkeys + Ducks + Geese. OPTION to SWITCH SEED by REQUEST to your Selection EG: Swap all 4 Seeds for One Seed Sample of Leucaena (400 Seeds) GO TO: GREEN LEAF FODDER SEED KITS 

ALSO: SALTBUSH POLLEN 1/2 Cup Sample with Every Saltbush Seedling Order.= Pollen has a Mild Flavour + Dries Crisp like a Rice Puff = Ultra Nice on Cheese = Source of Natural Vitamin E = Unrealised Potential as a Commercial Crop.

Atriplex nummularia 

It Takes 5 months for FOREST TUBES Saltbush Seedlings to be ready for sale + transplanting – during this time they are pruned back to 200 mm tall including Tube to make a stronger seedling with multiple growth points.  Super Tubes are taller + vary according to age as described in Shopping Cart.

UNIQUE ATTRIBUTE of Saltbush: Marsupials DO NOT Eat Saltbush.

FOR GARDENS Old Man Saltbush is a multi function plant = source of mulch and fertiliser from leaf protein = ideal for hedges = small bird habitat = windbreaks = privacy screens = frost protection.

THE HIGHEST AGRICULTURAL Value of Saltbush is for weaning calves. A paddock dedicated to Old Man Saltbush is an annual source of milk protein replacement for calves weaned from 100 days.  Evergreen saltbush is a highly digestible protein especially good with dry grass over winter or through extended dry. 600mm rainfall zones with 250 mature saltbush per hectare will easily graze 2000kg liveweight small cattle for 4 weeks once per annum. Most soil types are suitable except pure sand. Calves and sheep are best suited for saltbush.

RESEARCH: We know that chickens will eat cooked Saltbush Leaf as a supplement to their diet. Chickens do not eat raw leaf. You can add small amounts of fine ground raw powder to chicken mash. Currently about to test cooked Saltbush Leaf as an additive to Pig Food. Leaf is about 20% protein. To make this protein available for pigs it will require cooking or ferment. OBJECTIVE is to raise pigs on only Green Lucerne + Cooked Beef Offal + Some Sprouted Barley + Saltbush Leaf.   

SALTBUSH PLANTATIONS: Can be interplanted with Shade + Timber Trees of Silky Oak + Belah + Hoop + Bunya for House Paddocks. Hoop and Bunya are “stock safe sooner” trees.

SUPER TUBES with SUPER ROOTS Box of 4 and Box of 20 with Tray <><><>  PLUS Pack n Post which varies according to Box Size and Weight = 20 Super Tubes = 15kg appx <><> Super Tube Plant Growth is accelerated by established roots. Will now grow to 1 metre within 4-6 months with water/nutrient = seedling are min. 6 months old = pruning stimulates new growth points similar to grazing – making a hardier plant.     

FOR SEED ONLY   GO TO Saltbush Seed and Seed Kits 

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PLEASE NOTE Pack n POST Rates vary significantly due to weight of plants 

Large Scale Commercial Growers tend to use MINI TUBES.   We use FOREST Tubes and SUPER Tubes. Super Tubes are the ultimate fool proof method of establishing Saltbush especially if planted Cool Season. 

WHY DO WE PRUNE: a) Pruning makes for a stronger plant with more lateral buds that form into a bush. b) All seedlings must be strong enough to handle packaging and posting – so pruning is part of this process. c) Saltbush is a fragile plant when young. We produce plants that will perform once planted and provided with moisture as and when needed.  d) Super Tube Stock will grow twice as fast as Forest Tube Stock for the first few months due to its extra vigour from stored energy.

NOTE: As plants age they develop more stored energy and are easier to establish. Mini Tubes only avail. with Seed Kits.  When planting without rain, Saltbush requires regular applications of a few litres of water every few days. Plants can be self sufficient within a few weeks/months if planted during winter and adequate subsoil moisture is available.   

Form and Function: Evergreen Shrub Variable shapes up to 3 metres tall x 3 metres wide.

Frost and Hardiness: Seedling unaffected by frost at all life stages. Handles minus 10. Super drought tolerant once established by about 12 – 24 months. May need regular water to establish depending upon seasonal conditions.

Fodder: Cattle and sheep. Leaves fermented for chicken supplement.

Insects: Idea to cut and lay on ground for slaters to breed in. Turn occasionally for chickens to scratch about in.

Planting Window: Ok to plant year round with more regular water in summer to establish.

Mulch: Brittle branches are easy to collect for garden.

People: Occasionally leaves are dried and flaked as a salty condiment. You can chew a few raw leaves every day. Saltbush contains high levels of Fat Soluble Vitamin E. Sheep grazing Saltbush have 5 times more Vitamin E in their body than sheep grazing green grass. What is most noticeable about Saltbush Meat is that the fat is not greasy, it is more solid in texture and tastes superb. With enough salad or vegetable you can eat the whole animal. Heat does diminish vitamins, so a favorite part of the lamb is raw rib fillets marinated in lemon juice and soy sauce for 5 days in the fridge. We feed raw lambs fat to chickens. The Vitamin E then accumulates in the egg yolk, which you may eat raw as an egg-nog. Cows grazing Saltbush will accumulate vitamin E in the milk. You can grow saltbush to add as chop to a cows diet. SOMETHING REMARKABLE: Meat raised on Saltbush (and it needs only be for the final 30 days of its life), has an extended shelf life. There is a lot of research information on the web, search Vitamin E Old Man Saltbush. LIFE EXTENDER: What is now known is that if you eat more foods that contain the same amino acids as your own body, you will live longer and healthier. In context, that may well be meat and eggs and lots of vegetables, no processed sugar. The Worlds Oldest Lady who died 2016, aged 117 years, ate 3 eggs per day, 2 of which were raw, and did so for most of her life.  Sheep grazing Saltbush are much more vigorous and healthy than other animals on grass. Our Saltbush lamb tastes good and is good for you.

Go to: Long Yard Garden STORY  for more Photos with Saltbush in Hedge Formation.  

SALTBUSH POWDER: Dry leaves in full sun until brittle. Use your hands to grind into a kibble or a use a food blender to make an ultra fine powder, then use a sieve to produce highly refined saltbush powder. Nice on poached eggs. Dip cold pieces of orange into powder for something sweet and good. Add one teaspoon of powder to a 3-4 Banana Smoothie made with Kiffir Cultured Milk. One of the nicest drinks ever! – ADD 1 to 5% Saltbush Powder to Chicken Food/Mash.

Maturity: Up to four years for full size, longer in poorest soils. Our biggest saltbush are now 3 metres tall growing on edge of dam.

Suitable Soil Type: Avoid pure sand. Needs clay base otherwise grows in all types.

Planting Methods: In garden situations, you dig a hole deeper than needed for a soft base, backfill with soil, place Bush in hole and fill dirt around. Water well and water every week until it rains. Over time hand watering is reduced to every few months (variable according to rainfall) if not sooner the Bush is right, and never needs watering again, only if you want to.

PHOTO 1: Saltbush hedge on dam ledge

PHOTO 4a: Hedges of Saltbush within Long Yard Garden being grazed first time with lactating cow and cow due to calf within the week. These 2 cows have access to ample dry grass. Cows will only eat saltbush for 15-20 minutes until full – they are then returned to the paddock + then return every day until eaten. Date of Photo: 01/11/2023 

PHOTO 4: Marsupials and Horses wont eat Saltbush. They will occassionally nibble fresh leaves – if there is plenty of pasture about they will not eat it at all. Growing here with Belah. Date of Photo: August 2022

PHOTO 5: Hedge of Saltbush in Long Yard Garden. It is pruned every 6 to 9 months with sheep that also clean up the garden beds as needed. This is part of a double row of Saltbush aligned North South. Reflected sunlight and filtered shade creates an ideal micro climate for Bok Choy + Capsicum + Tomato + Celery etc…Early morning hedge shade to left.  Date of Photo: June 2022

PHOTO 5a: 42 Forest tubes to a tray + 20 Super Tubes to a Tray (included)

PHOTO 7: Young cattle grazing Saltbush

PHOTO 8: Saltbush in Flower producing Pollen attracts Native Bees for a brief period every year. Pollen Buds are hand harvested + dried to be crumbled. RECIPE MIX of Pollen with Honey + Olive Oil is nice for human consumption as it sets like a muesli bar. Saltbush is a bulk pollen producer + so far no research available for its benefits = it may be as good as royal jelly ??? SAMPLE of POLLEN with all SALTBUSH PLANT ORDERS try it and see. NOTE Lightweight of Pollen. A single bush will fill a 20 litre bucket with pollen yet its weight will be 2 kg appx when dried. No need to treat pollen as it crumbles when dry. 

PHOTO 9: Ten year old Saltbush over 2 metres tall and about 3 metres wide.

PHOTO 10: 5 month old Seedlings in Super Tubes currently at 250mm including Tube. These are the Shortest  Super Tube Seedlings ready to sell. Size is always listed on Product. Maximum size is 400mm Tall including Tube. As they grow seedlings are pruned to activate lateral stems.