Sowing on the green and slug pellets

[Cow1]

I walked some wheat this morning that was sown a week ago into untouched rape stubble where the stalks are high because I it was a tall crop and so had to be cut high. It has been sprayed off but there is plenty of residue. This doesn't worry me but it's not hard to find slugs and slug eggs when looking for seed. Admittedly I have only found 1 grain hollowed out but normal convention would have me out with the pelleter now.

I know Clive subscribes to the theory that the slugs will favour the oilseed rape volunteers rather than the wheat until the wheat is strong enough to cope but I wonder whether that's just his experience on lighter land or whether anyone else backs him up.

I really want to sit on my hands and run with it but obviously want to safeguard the crop too.

 

[martian]

I'd sit on your hands a bit longer if I were you...especially if you've got Deter dressing on your seed. We've got one small field out of 200 odd hectares sown on the green that looks like it might need a half-rate dose of pellets. At the moment...you do want to keep looking though

 

[Clive]

I know its a leap of faith but my experience in this situation over 3 years now is all positive

Never any guarantees but what works for one farmer may not work for another, they are many variables involved here !

The time for concern and careful monitoring is when OSR greenery is mostly gone and it's still warm / wet if wheat is still not growing away from pressure

 

[Desangosse Ltd]

Caution........watch the population growth if the weather continues to be wet. Agree with @Clive but would like to add that the OSR (+ the wheat) could be gone in a matter of days. Keep a close eye on it.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I haven't done any spraying off post drilling of wheat into rape this year but I have no problem finding slugs and slug eggs. That said I don't have a lot of slug damage either- bit of nibbling here and there and I have put some pellets out.

But the conclusion I'm coming to more and more is that wheat can generally fight its way through slugs. I know there is an industry dedicated to slug pelleting but to be honest I think nature will even it out esp in no till where you have more residuce choices - pellets don't even last very long anyway with all this rain.

 

[Clive]

Had a walk over my wheat after OSR today, it's going to be fine, keep the faith !

If it stays this warm though it will still need regular walking, not much OSR for them to go at now !

 

[yellow belly]

the key is to look at it daily then action can be taken when the crop starts going backwards not a week later when revenge is the only result

drilling earlier to combat slugs is recognised as the best plan

 

[Cow1]

Thanks for advice, still walking daily. Photos show a difference in greenery between sowing and now.

 

[Fred]

Had a walk over my wheat after OSR today, it's going to be fine, keep the faith !

View attachment 74262View attachment 74263View attachment 74264

If it stays this warm though it will still need regular walking, not much OSR for them to go at now !

When did you spray the osr off , before or after drilling, straight glyphosate or anything else

 

[Clive]

When did you spray the osr off , before or after drilling, straight glyphosate or anything else

A few days after drilling (4 I think in this case )

Straight glyphosate, 3l/ha

It hasn't done a 100% job, I think we suffered some shading as isr was big (knee high) shouldn't be a problem though, nothing scary to control in there

 

[Clive]

View attachment 74278View attachment 74279

Thanks for advice, still walking daily. Photos show a difference in greenery between sowing and now.

View attachment 74278View attachment 74279

Thanks for advice, still walking daily. Photos show a difference in greenery between sowing and now.

Now that would worry me ! Not enough green in the first place to keep slugs fed and consolidation looks poor

When I say no slug pribkem when drilling on the green I mean drilling into full green covers at least ankle height

 

[dug]

I'm posting from another planet down here but my approach would be a combination of what the experienced notillers say on here ..... But temper that with the fact that slug pressure is very variable based on soil type and rotation...... And also a failure due to slugs may cost you any potential savings you made from other seasons.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I'm posting from another planet down here but my approach would be a combination of what the experienced notillers say on here ..... But temper that with the fact that slug pressure is very variable based on soil type and rotation...... And also a failure due to slugs may cost you any potential savings you made from other seasons.

I agree with you. What I can say is that slug pressure doesn't necessarily get worse in no till, I'm pretty much thinking it gets better. I have slugs but they don't appear to be a domesday scenarion for the cereal crops as things stand, so I'm not putting many on. I did a little bit on some fields after rape but they didn't last long (derex).

But the ground is well consolidated, the seeding was well firmed, there is residue, it is warm and the plants look good etc. But I also agree with Clive that that field by the OP looks fluffy.

 

[dug]

Absolutely, consolidation is very important, I remember in my early years of notill, in some situations where there was no slug pressure, the headlands and wheel marks tended to be better. Nowadays, after a couple of hardware changes it is not the case. Actually now i think about it I had some of those early ones where we had slug issues due to not putting "enough" bait on, the wheelings and headlands were largely fine also.

 

[Cow1]

All I will say is it was drilled with a Mzuri and it has rained post drilling so I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do. I'm quite happy with the consolidation from the press wheels where the seed goes and it walks very firm. But then what do I know?

 

[SilliamWhale]

All I will say is it was drilled with a Mzuri and it has rained post drilling so I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do. I'm quite happy with the consolidation from the press wheels where the seed goes and it walks very firm. But then what do I know?

It does look fluffy though. If your happy then that's all that matters

 

[holderness hippy]

my slugs are a lot worse with no tilling wheat into osr stubbles both with drilling on the green and the old fashion way

 

[holderness hippy]

plus I have pelleted the wheat 4 times just to keep whats there going ,thinking osr is a no go if you want to direct drill on strong land

 

[Richard III]

my slugs are a lot worse with no tilling wheat into osr stubbles both with drilling on the green and the old fashion way

How long have you been No Tilling? My experience is slugs get worse before they get better, there is a pain barrier to go through, especially on heavy land.

It's difficult to get a decent picture at this stage, but this field is greening up from a distance now. Drilled with a moore and sprayed off 5 days after drilling. No pellets, but it is light land.

A heavy field drilled at the same time had a half dose of cheap pellets, but I could probably have got away without.

 

[martian]

We've just pelleted the one field that was sprayed off (due to management cock-up disguised as a trial) two weeks before drilling. Slugs are competing there; all the others, drilled on the green, are romping away.