- Location
- Bedfordshire
Does Direct drilling reduce the amount of Blackgrass you have on your farm?
What's Blackgrass?
Does Direct drilling reduce the amount of Blackgrass you have on your farm?
TBH we've still got it, but I'm much more relaxed now we can control it culturally as well as chemically. Two year leys and lots of spring cropping preceded by cover crops (as Clive says, rotation), as well as minimal soil disturbance, and suddenly there isn't much of it. It loves anaerobic clay, so I think as our soils gain a friable top layer, the BG will wither into the dustbin of history...Did you used to know what blackgrass was?
Funny you should say that, some of my worst areas are/were absolutely horrible airless wet clay.TBH we've still got it, but I'm much more relaxed now we can control it culturally as well as chemically. Two year leys and lots of spring cropping preceded by cover crops (as Clive says, rotation), as well as minimal soil disturbance, and suddenly there isn't much of it. It loves anaerobic clay, so I think as our soils gain a friable top layer, the BG will wither into the dustbin of history...
TBH we've still got it, but I'm much more relaxed now we can control it culturally as well as chemically. Two year leys and lots of spring cropping preceded by cover crops (as Clive says, rotation), as well as minimal soil disturbance, and suddenly there isn't much of it. It loves anaerobic clay, so I think as our soils gain a friable top layer, the BG will wither into the dustbin of history...
You'll have to look over the hedge at your neighbours to remind yourself what it was like, the same ones that thought you were nuts when you started dd and wondered why you put a picture of a man in a strange light green outfit opposite the Queen in your local village hall.
I didn't put it up...I tell you Simon, he's worshipped like a God here, bit like the Duke of Edinburgh in the South Sea IslandsYou'll have to look over the hedge at your neighbours to remind yourself what it was like, the same ones that thought you were nuts when you started dd and wondered why you put a picture of a man in a strange light green outfit opposite the Queen in your local village hall.
So true. We thought we had nailed our BG/Brome problems until the deluges of 2007/08 and 2012/13. If you are farming on free-draining soils such as those in parts of the West Midlands, the Cotswolds, Pembroke and various chalk soils in the south and east then the build up of BG (and other grass weeds) has not been a problem. But for those of us where water infiltration is a problem so is BG.. The answer I am afraid to say some form of artificial soil re-structuring. A well known machinery manufacturer has been trialling a minimal disturbance soil loosener locally in front of a number of direct-drills and so far the results are very encouraging.. My father says nothing is new ..that is why the Paraplow was developed back in the 1970'sFunny you should say that, some of my worst areas are/were absolutely horrible airless wet clay.
So true. We thought we had nailed our BG/Brome problems until the deluges of 2007/08 and 2012/13. If you are farming on free-draining soils such as those in parts of the West Midlands, the Cotswolds, Pembroke and various chalk soils in the south and east then the build up of BG (and other grass weeds) has not been a problem. But for those of us where water infiltration is a problem so is BG.. The answer I am afraid to say some form of artificial soil re-structuring. A well known machinery manufacturer has been trialling a minimal disturbance soil loosener locally in front of a number of direct-drills and so far the results are very encouraging.. My father says nothing is new ..that is why the Paraplow was developed back in the 1970's
so a tool to get out the hedgeSo true. We thought we had nailed our BG/Brome problems until the deluges of 2007/08 and 2012/13. If you are farming on free-draining soils such as those in parts of the West Midlands, the Cotswolds, Pembroke and various chalk soils in the south and east then the build up of BG (and other grass weeds) has not been a problem. But for those of us where water infiltration is a problem so is BG.. The answer I am afraid to say some form of artificial soil re-structuring. A well known machinery manufacturer has been trialling a minimal disturbance soil loosener locally in front of a number of direct-drills and so far the results are very encouraging.. My father says nothing is new ..that is why the Paraplow was developed back in the 1970's
Thanks for your thoughts, what do you suggest as a solution?so a tool to get out the hedge
I wonder if this combination of front "ripper" and DD in the back is not just a short term thing and in the end, let's say in 10 years, you will desperately look down the road as you can't afford it as each time you had to go deeper.
Jim, I just want to encourage you to read once more Hands on Agronomy and do 2 spilt fields for 5 years consequently. As Neal Kinsey said, and I see it on several farms, this BG is a soil structure problem and soil structure is made by soil chemistry. And YES, you can change it.
The pity is that too many are not even doing this trial on 2 split fields for 5 years as they give up after 1 year as they don't see a instant fix.
Look the BG problem wasn't coming up over night, so give it some time to be sorted out as well.
York-Th.
p.s. I'm not after opening a can of forms again.
I think one mistake we have made is to shallow till(2" is the aim but 3-4" is what has been achieved) the top surface repeatedly and then repeatedly spray off. Each cultivation seams to be bringing up ever increasing amounts of seed. We have one field, Shallow tilled and sprayed off 3 times and it has more grass on it than a golf course.TBH we've still got it, but I'm much more relaxed now we can control it culturally as well as chemically. Two year leys and lots of spring cropping preceded by cover crops (as Clive says, rotation), as well as minimal soil disturbance, and suddenly there isn't much of it. It loves anaerobic clay, so I think as our soils gain a friable top layer, the BG will wither into the dustbin of history...
Thanks for your thoughts, what do you suggest as a solution?
so this tillage looks like not the option...I think one mistake we have made is to shallow till(2" is the aim but 3-4" is what has been achieved) the top surface repeatedly and then repeatedly spray off. Each cultivation seams to be bringing up ever increasing amounts of seed. We have one field, Shallow tilled and sprayed off 3 times and it has more grass on it than a golf course.
Neither of them. Used to have a little Sterile Brome when we first used a 6m Great Plains drill about 12 years ago.Changing the subject slightly, what weeds do you see more of?
Sterile brome
Rose bay willow herb