Lupin Mulch
Feeds the bed while it covers it.
Lupin Mulch is DSATCO's, made at Wongan Hills from 100% Western Australian lupin plant material with chicken manure through it. It is pasteurised, so the weed seeds and pathogens that come with raw straw are killed in processing. Nitrogen runs at 17.8 g/kg, which is why the drawdown warning that applies to woody mulches does not apply here.
Or call the yard on (08) 9434 2290
Real stock, not a swatch. Blended products vary a little batch to batch, so treat these as a guide rather than an exact colour match.
Lupin Mulch details
Lupin Mulch at a glance
- Product type
- Pasteurised composted mulch
- Made from
- 100% WA lupin plant material with chicken manure
- Made at
- Wongan Hills, Western Australia
- Nitrogen
- 17.8 g/kg
- pH
- 7.5
- Available as
- 45L bag, 100L eco-bale, 1000L bulk bag
What Lupin Mulch suits
What can you use Lupin Mulch for?
Vegetable beds that want feeding
It covers the soil and feeds it at the same time, which is the job most people actually want done in a veggie patch. A raw straw does the first half and quietly takes nitrogen for the second.
Rose beds and ornamental borders
Roses are heavy feeders and they want the soil kept cool and damp. A nitrogen-carrying mulch does both without a separate feeding round.
Newly planted beds
This is where the pasteurising earns its keep. A new bed has no established plants to out-compete imported weed seed, so what you spread on it matters more than it will in two years.
Anywhere you would use straw
Same look, same handling, same light texture — without the weed seed and without the drawdown. The 45 litre bag does a single bed, so it suits a job you can finish in an afternoon.
How much Lupin Mulch do you need?
Measure the bed, then count bags
Lupin comes compressed, so a bale looks smaller than what comes out of it. Work off the area you are covering rather than off the size of the pack.
Every figure below is DSATCO's own, at the 40 to 50mm they recommend. Buy on the area, not on how much a bag looks like it should do.
| Pack | What it is | Covers at 40 to 50mm |
|---|---|---|
| 45 litre bag | A single bed's worth | About 2m². The pack for one job you can finish in an afternoon. |
| 100 litre eco-bale | Compressed, expands to about 70 litres | 4 to 5m². |
| 1000 litre bulk bag | For a whole garden | 40 to 50m². Worth it once you are past about ten bales. |
Keep it 100mm clear of the base of every plant, and water it in once it is down. It breaks down into the soil rather than sitting on top, so budget for topping up rather than for replacing.
Why Lupin Mulch
Why choose Lupin Mulch?
Pasteurised, so you are not importing weeds
Weed seeds, pathogens and disease are killed in processing. That is a specific claim DSATCO make about their process, and it is the single biggest difference between this and a bale of hay off a farm gate.
No nitrogen drawdown
Woody mulches borrow nitrogen from the soil while they break down, which is why a bed can look hungry a month after mulching. This one arrives carrying 17.8 g/kg of its own, so it releases rather than borrows.
A full analysis, not just bulk
Phosphorus 2.1, potassium 13, calcium 19, magnesium 4.2, plus copper, zinc, manganese, iron and boron. You can see what you are putting on the garden instead of guessing at it.
Western Australian, and traceable
Made at Wongan Hills from WA lupin. It has not been trucked across the country, and DSATCO publish what is in it, which not every mulch supplier does.
Getting Lupin Mulch home
How to get Lupin Mulch
Collect from the yard
Open seven days at 222 Barrington St, Bibra Lake. The loader puts it straight into your trailer or ute, and someone will tell you whether what you have brought will carry the load.
Borrow one of our trailers free for two hours to get your load home. No charge, no bond.
Have it delivered
Across Perth's southern suburbs, seven days. For a quote we need the address, how much you need, and anything awkward about access — tight driveways, low branches and side access all change which truck we send. Confirm the current cost when you order.
Formats
- 45 litre bag
- 100 litre compressed eco-bale
- 1000 litre bulk bag
Using Lupin Mulch
How to use Lupin Mulch
Clear and water the bed first
Pull the weeds that are there — mulch stops new ones germinating, it does not kill established ones — and water the bed through before you cover it. Mulch laid over dry sand keeps it dry.
Spread it 40 to 50mm deep
That is DSATCO's figure and it is the depth that blocks light to germinating weeds without smothering the soil. Thicker is not better; it just costs more and holds water off the surface.
Keep it 100mm clear of every stem
Mulch held against a stem or a trunk holds moisture there, and that is how collar rot starts. Leave a clear ring around the base of each plant.
Water it in, then top up as it thins
Water it once it is down. It breaks down into the soil, which is the whole point of it, so it is not a set-and-forget covering — expect to top it up rather than replace it.
When to choose something else
When it is the wrong product
- It contains chicken manure. If you are mulching phosphorus-sensitive natives — banksias, grevilleas, hakeas — ask at the counter rather than assuming, because a straight bark mulch is usually the safer choice there.
- It is not a decorative mulch. It looks like what it is, which is composted plant material. If the bed is the front of the house and you want a finished dark or red look, the coloured mulches are what that job wants.
- It breaks down. That is a feature in a vegetable bed and a nuisance on a verge you would rather not touch for three years, where pine bark or wood chips last far longer.
- Wear gloves and a mask and keep the material damp while you spread it. That is the standard handling advice for any composted product with live microbes in it.
Customer reviews
What people say
Lupin Mulch questions
Lupin Mulch FAQs
Goes with Lupin Mulch
Other products you may need
The other mulches that feed
Nitrogen-rich mulches that put something back rather than only covering the soil.
What goes under it
Mulch covers soil, it does not build it. These are what a tired bed wants underneath.
If you want it to last instead
For a verge or a shrub bed you would rather not touch for a few years.
Guides for lupin mulch
Planning your project
GardenGarden Mulching 101: What You Need to KnowBibra Lake Soils28 April 2022 · 6 min read
GardenA Complete Guide to Mulching for a Vegetable GardenBibra Lake Soils2 February 2023 · 7 min read
SoilBest Mulch to Stop WeedsBibra Lake Soils20 September 2024 · 4 min read
GardenBuilding a Vegetable Garden in WA (Your Complete Guide)Bibra Lake Soils13 April 2020 · 16 min read
Lupin Mulch quote
Need Lupin Mulch for your project?
Send us the quantity you need, your suburb, and whether you would like to collect it or have it delivered. If you are not sure how much, put your measurements into the calculator above and we will check it for you.
Or ring the yard on (08) 9434 2290
222 Barrington St, Bibra Lake WA 6163 · Open 7 days
Use the calculator above and the amount lands in the message for you.