What is Lupin Mulch made from?

The lupin plant material left after the crop comes off, composted with chicken manure through it, made at Wongan Hills. It is 100% Western Australian, and DSATCO publish the full analysis rather than just calling it organic.

Will Lupin Mulch steal nitrogen from my soil?

No, and that is the main reason to choose it. Woody mulches borrow nitrogen from the soil while they break down, which is why a bed can look hungry a month after mulching. Lupin arrives carrying 17.8 g/kg of its own nitrogen, so it releases rather than borrows.

Does Lupin Mulch have weed seeds in it?

It is pasteurised, which kills the weed seeds, the pathogens and the disease that come along with unprocessed straw. That is the difference between this and a bale of hay, and it is why it suits a bed you have just cleaned up.

How deep should I spread Lupin Mulch?

Forty to fifty millimetres, kept a hundred millimetres clear of the base of each plant, and watered in once it is down. Deeper is not better, it costs more and can hold water off the soil surface rather than letting it through.

Can I use Lupin Mulch on native plants?

Ask us first. It contains chicken manure, and phosphorus-sensitive natives such as banksias, grevilleas and hakeas do not tolerate much phosphorus. For those beds a straight bark mulch is usually the safer choice, and we would rather point you at it than sell you the wrong bag.

How much Lupin Mulch do I need?

A 50 litre bag covers about 2m² at the recommended depth. Measure the bed, divide by two, and round up.

Can I collect Lupin Mulch myself?

Yes. The yard is open seven days and the bags go straight in a boot.

Can Lupin Mulch be delivered?

We do not usually deliver bags on their own. They are a pick-up item: the yard is open seven days and bags go straight in a boot. If a bulk load is already coming to you, ask the yard whether they can go on the same truck.

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.

Get a quote How much do I need?

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: 50L bag

Full specifications

Product	Lupin Mulch
Category	Mulch
Brand	DSATCO, Wongan Hills WA
Composition	100% WA lupin plant material with chicken manure
Processing	Pasteurised
Analysis	N 17.8, P 2.1, K 13 g/kg. Ca 19, Mg 4.2, C 377
Trace elements	Copper, zinc, manganese, iron, boron
pH	7.5
Application depth	40 to 50mm, kept 100mm clear of stems

Only figures the yard has confirmed appear here. If something you need is missing, ring us rather than assuming it matches a similar product.

Get a quote

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 50 litre bag does about 2m², 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 in one size, a 50 litre bag. Work off the area you are covering rather than off how much a bag looks like it should do.

The figure below is for the 40 to 50mm DSATCO recommend. Measure the bed, divide by two, and round up.

Ask us what you need

Pack	What it is	Covers at 40 to 50mm
50 litre bag	The only size	About 2m². Five bags do a 10m² bed.

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.

Delivering bags

We do not usually deliver bags on their own. They go straight in a boot, so collecting is quicker and cheaper for you. If a bulk load is already coming to you, ask the yard whether the bags can go on the same truck.

Call (08) 9434 2290

Formats

50 litre 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

What is Lupin Mulch made from?
The lupin plant material left after the crop comes off, composted with chicken manure through it, made at Wongan Hills. It is 100% Western Australian, and DSATCO publish the full analysis rather than just calling it organic.
Will Lupin Mulch steal nitrogen from my soil?
No, and that is the main reason to choose it. Woody mulches borrow nitrogen from the soil while they break down, which is why a bed can look hungry a month after mulching. Lupin arrives carrying 17.8 g/kg of its own nitrogen, so it releases rather than borrows.
Does Lupin Mulch have weed seeds in it?
It is pasteurised, which kills the weed seeds, the pathogens and the disease that come along with unprocessed straw. That is the difference between this and a bale of hay, and it is why it suits a bed you have just cleaned up.
How deep should I spread Lupin Mulch?
Forty to fifty millimetres, kept a hundred millimetres clear of the base of each plant, and watered in once it is down. Deeper is not better, it costs more and can hold water off the soil surface rather than letting it through.
Can I use Lupin Mulch on native plants?
Ask us first. It contains chicken manure, and phosphorus-sensitive natives such as banksias, grevilleas and hakeas do not tolerate much phosphorus. For those beds a straight bark mulch is usually the safer choice, and we would rather point you at it than sell you the wrong bag.
How much Lupin Mulch do I need?
A 50 litre bag covers about 2m² at the recommended depth. Measure the bed, divide by two, and round up.
Can I collect Lupin Mulch myself?
Yes. The yard is open seven days and the bags go straight in a boot.
Can Lupin Mulch be delivered?
We do not usually deliver bags on their own. They are a pick-up item: the yard is open seven days and bags go straight in a boot. If a bulk load is already coming to you, ask the yard whether they can go on the same truck.