- Location
- Foothills of the Quantocks
Yes, it does the job. I usually add millet to my summer covers, works pretty well in a mix with buckwheat, sunflowers etc. Sorghum is less cold tolerant and you get less seeds per kg so I gave up on using that
Yes, it does the job. I usually add millet to my summer covers, works pretty well in a mix with buckwheat, sunflowers etc. Sorghum is less cold tolerant and you get less seeds per kg so I gave up on using that
Very high seed rates for early sowing I was thinking, where sheer volume of biomass material is not an issue...?Not a fan of mustard, we've got too much brassica in the rotation as it is! Might try some radish in the winter covers as that's clubroot resistant. I used to add oats but gave myself massive BYDV last year, to the line of where I planted them, so not again.
This year between OSR and wheat (kg/ha):
Linseed 50
Buckwheat 40
Sunflower 40
Millet 20
Phacelia 5
This grew about waist high after an application of biosolids. Drilled July 28th. Buckwheat and OSR volunteers were dominant this year, but everything was there if you looked for it. Drilled all 200ac of wheat on 15/16th October.
I'm open to suggestions for fast growing species to add to my mix. The wackier the better.
Birdseed poppies look cheap in terms of £/million seeds..
Or... Would I need to buy new seed if I secured a hemp license? Home saved hemp would be ideal for this job
Very high seed rates for early sowing I was thinking, where sheer volume of biomass material is not an issue...? Zero N applied.
Late May drill dates, I could cut rates of most by 50%? Looking at my Home Brew bumblebird mix, maybe a few kg of Crimson clover for colour and early flowers I thought.
A tad high you feel Roy?40 kg / ha sunflower seed
I looked at those rates and thought 10 times more than I would use. Especially after rape where you have a fair number of volunteers.could cut rates of most by 50%?
A really thick ground cover is a big advantage to my scheme, as it means I can get 2 full years from an establishment, maybe even 3 with a bit of tweaking and management, before thistle and grass weeds arrive in force. back into arable then.I looked at those rates and thought 10 times more than I would use. Especially after rape where you have a fair number of volunteers.
A tad high you feel Roy?
Sunflower | Species Information
www.cotswoldseeds.com
But Charles is looking for massive amounts of biomass in a short time.
But the sunflower will pile on weight/mass quickly late into the Summer here in the UK, more so than wheat I'd say.we normally plant commercial sunflower ( for grain / seeds ) at around 40,000 seeds / ha, which is around 2.5 kg / ha
commercial seed is roughly around 16 - 18,000 seeds / kg
so, 40 kg x 16,000 = 640,000 seeds / ha, or 64 per sq metre
And that’s only one species of a mix
Definitely lots of biomass . . .
also, the bulk density of sunnies are about half that of wheat, so the volume of 40 kg sunnies is about equal to 80 kg wheat
Do you think this sort of mix would do ALH2 SFI after winter barley, ie set enough seeds for winter?Not a fan of mustard, we've got too much brassica in the rotation as it is! Might try some radish in the winter covers as that's clubroot resistant. I used to add oats but gave myself massive BYDV last year, to the line of where I planted them, so not again.
This year between OSR and wheat (kg/ha):
Linseed 50
Buckwheat 40
Sunflower 40
Millet 20
Phacelia 5
This grew about waist high after an application of biosolids. Drilled July 28th. Buckwheat and OSR volunteers were dominant this year, but everything was there if you looked for it. Drilled all 200ac of wheat on 15/16th October.
I'm open to suggestions for fast growing species to add to my mix. The wackier the better.
Birdseed poppies look cheap in terms of £/million seeds..
Or... Would I need to buy new seed if I secured a hemp license? Home saved hemp would be ideal for this job
View attachment 1146588View attachment 1146587
Can't see much there that will set seed except under very favourable circumstances...Do you think this sort of mix would do ALH2 SFI after winter barley, ie set enough seeds for winter?
So I just came back to this thread, realised the mistake I made. I was quoting the full/straight rates column not the constituent rate!Very high seed rates for early sowing I was thinking, where sheer volume of biomass material is not an issue...?
Late May drill dates, I could cut rates of most by 50%? Zero NPK applied here. Looking at my Home Brew bumblebird mix, maybe a few kg of Crimson clover for colour and early flowers I thought.
full rate/ha | Constituent rate | |
Buckwheat | 40 | 8.0 |
Phacelia | 5 | 1.0 |
sunflower | 40 | 8.0 |
millet | 20 | 4.0 |
Linseed | 50 | 10.0 |
Quite similiar to my home brew mix.So I just came back to this thread, realised the mistake I made. I was quoting the full/straight rates column not the constituent rate!
full rate/ha Constituent rate Buckwheat 40 8.0Phacelia 5 1.0sunflower 40 8.0millet 20 4.0Linseed 50 10.0
More sane. Was a little thin though early on, so perhaps will increase everything by 10% next year.