How to establish OSR with very wet ground?

I had high hopes of planting a decent acreage of OSR this year. I thought the numbers looked good on paper, but best laid plans at and all that.

So, given we've now had 30mm on top of persistent rain belts over the last few weeks, the ground is now extremely wet. Drains are running and there is no sign of scorching hot and dry weather in the short term.

The question is then what to do about OSR and its establishment? Do we just not bother, which would be a great shame from my POV, do we wait until late August / early September to see if good ground conditions materialise, or do we try and turn to some cheap establishment technique that is better suited to wet ground conditions?

Thoughts on a postcard.
 

JD6920s

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Shropshire
Patience, and choose a variety with early vigorous growth.
Order the day before sowing and pick it up yourself.
If it stays wet, give osr a miss this year, costs more to grow a bad crop than a good one.
 

Crabtree

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Oxfordshire
Surely some patience required, its only 10th of August, I know you drilled early last year but every year's different.
Seeder on the terrastar ? or 1 pass to make some tilth and 1 pass later with the seed (would want to be untreated home saved as some will be on the top) You could buy a new seeder with the saving in seed cost.
If you've made too much mess with the combine/trailers and the soil needs levelling then I expect a bit of patience and then drill with the Claydon might be best.
We don't know what the flea beetle pressure will be but all methods may fail or work, if you broadcast some soon, you've still got time to drill later if it doesn't work.
You're only worrying because you've got the land clear, most of mine destined for Osr is covered in wet straw or hasn't been cut yet!
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I had high hopes of planting a decent acreage of OSR this year. I thought the numbers looked good on paper, but best laid plans at and all that.

So, given we've now had 30mm on top of persistent rain belts over the last few weeks, the ground is now extremely wet. Drains are running and there is no sign of scorching hot and dry weather in the short term.

The question is then what to do about OSR and its establishment? Do we just not bother, which would be a great shame from my POV, do we wait until late August / early September to see if good ground conditions materialise, or do we try and turn to some cheap establishment technique that is better suited to wet ground conditions?

Thoughts on a postcard.

its still early - the next few weeks a lot can change and week 1 september is isn't late , its actually optimum !
however OSR will grow great in wet august conditions

get a boom mounted spinner like a techneat and spin it on then run over with your Terra star ? or better still stick a seed box on the terra star ?
 
its still early - the next few weeks a lot can change and week 1 september is isn't late , its actually optimum !
however OSR will grow great in wet august conditions

get a boom mounted spinner like a techneat and spin it on then run over with your Terra star ? or better still stick a seed box on the terra star ?

Have got an Opico Air 8 which is virtually unused. Had been planning to make that into a OSR drill using the Terrastar or something similar. Whether we can do that in time I don't know. If broadcasting on before the Terrastar, we would need to be careful not to bury the seed too deep.

One other option was waiting long enough for the top inch to dry and the using the 750a, but we'd have to choose our fields carefully to pick ones without much surface residue. There's no way that would work on the winter barley fields because there's too much of a mat of straw.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Have got an Opico Air 8 which is virtually unused. Had been planning to make that into a OSR drill using the Terrastar or something similar. Whether we can do that in time I don't know. If broadcasting on before the Terrastar, we would need to be careful not to bury the seed too deep.

One other option was waiting long enough for the top inch to dry and the using the 750a, but we'd have to choose our fields carefully to pick ones without much surface residue. There's no way that would work on the winter barley fields because there's too much of a mat of straw.

if it stays wet I wouldn't use the 750a for OSR - its the hardest crop to zero till IMO by far and especially doesn't like wet straw in the slot with it

all OSR wil be ULD horsch conversion drilled here (is the plan) this year
 
On no account try any 'wet soil establishment technique'. Late August/early September is fine for sowing rape, if you reach the middle of September without planting, come back here.

I know that's what everyone says about OSR drilling dates. The last two times we have tried drilling OSR in September have either resulted in failure or very patchy crops that let a lot of BG through. Works OK on nice fertile meadow soil, but not so well on the purer clays.

Take the point though about not forcing it in by calendar date into very wet conditions.
 
Surely some patience required, its only 10th of August, I know you drilled early last year but every year's different.
Seeder on the terrastar ? or 1 pass to make some tilth and 1 pass later with the seed (would want to be untreated home saved as some will be on the top) You could buy a new seeder with the saving in seed cost.
If you've made too much mess with the combine/trailers and the soil needs levelling then I expect a bit of patience and then drill with the Claydon might be best.
We don't know what the flea beetle pressure will be but all methods may fail or work, if you broadcast some soon, you've still got time to drill later if it doesn't work.
You're only worrying because you've got the land clear, most of mine destined for Osr is covered in wet straw or hasn't been cut yet!

Could do a pass with the Terrastar and then allow that to dry and then in with the Claydon / 750a. Or could put the rolls over it as they have a Techneat seeder on the back. Really need to drive backwards with the rolls as the spreader plates are behind the rolls for Avadex!
 

RTK Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
I have all the brackets and frame work to mount our wizard on out cultipress , been used once in the past with limited success ,,,, not the best ground conditions ,,,, but we are still fortunate to have reasonably good ground conditions ,,,,,,, the silly rainfall that we were forecast never materialised so hoping to establish ours as normal with the trio
 

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