Spring wheat DD

Is it possible to get a good stand of spring wheat in a direct drill situation?

Rule of thumb as I see it spring wheat wants to be in early but DD like a later spring drilling slot to let the land warm up so a potential compromise which ever way you go?

Are any of the established DDers using spring wheat successfully in their rotation?
 
What is your target direct drilling "month" ?? Have grown Mulika before under a mintill regime and didn't feel like I did the best job of it. I have a considerable % of spring cereal planned next year and didn't really want to put all eggs in the spring barley basket.
 
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What is your target direct drilling "month" ?? Have grown Mulika before under a mintill regime and didn't feel like I didn't the best job of it. I have a considerable % of spring cereal planned next year and didn't really want to put all eggs in the spring barley basket.

March or April if I have to. Personally I found the older spring wheat varieties to tiller more and yield better (but not milling) ie dandy, static, ashby etc.
 
What is your target direct drilling "month" ?? Have grown Mulika before under a mintill regime and didn't feel like I did the best job of it. I have a considerable % of spring cereal planned next year and didn't really want to put all eggs in the spring barley basket.

As soon as possible. IE December. Any later than March and it's cuckoo corn.

Drill it heavy if going in the new year. I doesn't tiller worth a damn.
 
It’s only cuckoo if it doesn’t rain enough after drilling ?

I agree the earlier the better but it wasn’t an option this year !

Some pics of our dd wheat drilled 29 April @275kg/ha

Luckily it rained after drilling & it’s just coming into ear now.....

Fingers crossed now....
 

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Tractor Boy

Member
Location
Suffolk
As soon as possible. IE December. Any later than March and it's cuckoo corn.

Drill it heavy if going in the new year. I doesn't tiller worth a damn.
This cuckoo corn phrase is a load of tosh in my opinion when talking about DD. Maybe it was relevant years ago when Suffolk Coulter’s had no penetration and couldn’t get in the ground so all the seed was left shallow . I’ve been direct drilling barley,oats and spring wheat the last few years on heavy land and they have all done ok although admittedly no record breaking, and I have never been able to get them in before about 25th March as it’s been too wet for the 750a.
 
This cuckoo corn phrase is a load of tosh in my opinion when talking about DD. Maybe it was relevant years ago when Suffolk Coulter’s had no penetration and couldn’t get in the ground so all the seed was left shallow . I’ve been direct drilling barley,oats and spring wheat the last few years on heavy land and they have all done ok although admittedly no record breaking, and I have never been able to get them in before about 25th March as it’s been too wet for the 750a.

I don't see what difference DD makes. The crop simply doesn't have time to tiller if it's drilled late, believe me I have tried it. The only way to get sensible yields is to drill heavier. Didn't Lee try 600 seeds?

Earlier the better with spring wheat. It always looks weird and does ok so I am all in favour of growing it on the cheap, so DD is right up my street. Spring barley is the same.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
Mulika spring wheat drilled direct (after a tickle with a dynadrive) with a 25yo Bettinson TC4 on 23rd April with 200kg/ha.
Not got a pick of the Belepi, but think its got the edge over the Mullika.
Plenty thick enough. This land is usually two ww, spring oats, 2ww, beans. Considering replacing the second winter wheat with spring, as a weapon in the bg war.
 

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Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
I don't see what difference DD makes. The crop simply doesn't have time to tiller if it's drilled late, believe me I have tried it. The only way to get sensible yields is to drill heavier. Didn't Lee try 600 seeds?

Earlier the better with spring wheat. It always looks weird and does ok so I am all in favour of growing it on the cheap, so DD is right up my street. Spring barley is the same.

In a year like this, dd is the difference between success and failure, in spring crops anyway. Late sown because of constant rain, but drilled into moisture, it was up and away in no time. If we'd cultivated and sown conventionally, it'd of been a week later sown, into drier ground, and would of been patchier emergence, with a resulting less bg smothering, lower yielding canopy. What varieties have you grown? I'm suprised how this has tillered tbh.
 

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