Establishing cover crops or grass by broadcasting into standing crop

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I thought I'd ask this question in here in the hope of some well thought out answers...

My boss wants "undersowing," as a concept. This wasn't possible this spring as I'm not kitted up for it & the weed burden I have means I'd never be able to control what I have without gang labour hand pulling wild oats where a ryegrass/clover ley was the undersown crop. The broad leafed weed specturm is also vast and a clover safe 2,4DB/tribenuron mix won't do enough on that. He wants some grass sown by broadcasting pre harvest of the spring barley/wheat. I have a neighbour with a pneumatic fertiliser spreader who should be able to do it. Any slugs found on the ground will mean a sprinkling of Sluxx when the seed is blown in.

In future I will be looking to establish stubble turnips this way too - Countryside Stewardship requires them to be established by 31st July & I don't want to go back to having to grow winter barley just so I can drill them in July. Where it is sown into spring barley the straw will be baled, more for removing mulch than anything else. Even cutting high the drooping ears mean max stubble height is 4-5". Wheat should be easier with longer stubble/less mulch.

What do I need to know? How early pre harvest can I broadcast the seed in? I was thinking of early sensecence as the canopy opens. The CS tail is wagging the dog here but it's what the owner wants.
 

Dockers

Member
Location
Hampshire
We have established yellow trefoil and mustard like this. All into wheat at GS 39, Flag leaf. Very successful, done by a contractor with pneumatic spreader on Bateman. Given up with cover crops now. Be careful of slug pellets on wheat in ear, have heard of rejections !! Have also established OSR this way. Given that up too !! All at least 10 years ago. Look for a new job !!!!!
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
What's the earliest you can spray grass weeds? I've sown grass seed into established crops of spring barley with einbock tine type machine successfully.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
What's the earliest you can spray grass weeds? I've sown grass seed into established crops of spring barley with einbock tine type machine successfully.

I'm spraying wild oats out of Planet spring barley next week that's been in for a month. Broad leafed weeds are dealt with at T1 in barley. In wheat weed control is done by Broadway Star in late March with the odd follow up on fumitory at T1.
 

tw15

Member
Location
DORSET
I thought I'd ask this question in here in the hope of some well thought out answers...

My boss wants "undersowing," as a concept. This wasn't possible this spring as I'm not kitted up for it & the weed burden I have means I'd never be able to control what I have without gang labour hand pulling wild oats where a ryegrass/clover ley was the undersown crop. The broad leafed weed specturm is also vast and a clover safe 2,4DB/tribenuron mix won't do enough on that. He wants some grass sown by broadcasting pre harvest of the spring barley/wheat. I have a neighbour with a pneumatic fertiliser spreader who should be able to do it. Any slugs found on the ground will mean a sprinkling of Sluxx when the seed is blown in.

In future I will be looking to establish stubble turnips this way too - Countryside Stewardship requires them to be established by 31st July & I don't want to go back to having to grow winter barley just so I can drill them in July. Where it is sown into spring barley the straw will be baled, more for removing mulch than anything else. Even cutting high the drooping ears mean max stubble height is 4-5". Wheat should be easier with longer stubble/less mulch.

What do I need to know? How early pre harvest can I broadcast the seed in? I was thinking of early sensecence as the canopy opens. The CS tail is wagging the dog here but it's what the owner wants.

What about a seeder to fit onto your sprayer. ie a front tank blowing back to distribution heads on the booms. Nearly pay to buy a old sprayer and throw the tank away and make it up you could do sluggies full width in a nice warm cab in the winter instead of sat on a cold bike . If you have a lot of grass you will need stock or a good play fair grazzier / farmer to take the grass and not someone that robs your nutrients or ad but they aren't that close .:scratchhead::)
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
I'm spraying wild oats out of Planet spring barley next week that's been in for a month. Broad leafed weeds are dealt with at T1 in barley. In wheat weed control is done by Broadway Star in late March with the odd follow up on fumitory at T1.

If it's at same stage as ours could establish grass after wild oat spray. Clover could be established after its been grazed with same machine. You won't get a good take of grass broadcasting it into standing crop. Stubble turnips, forage rape would work.
 
auto cast would be preferred but as I grow rape and beans I am not keen on brassica or legume cover
I am now planning on using spring oats

on heavy land in the north the cover will have to be knocked over before the end of januarry especially if there are a lot of cereal volenteers to reduce takeall cary over
 

H.Jackson

Member
Location
West Sussex
I am planning to go back into spring barley next year and drill grass. Growth stage at drilling is going to be something we will trial, not sure if the I'm brave enough to try fully stem extended as seen in the US. Have had great success broadcasting stubble turnips in standing wheat provided there is an acurate application of slux ie not broadcast, stripes of no turnip where pellets don't reach. Microclimate of moisture within crop seems to acheive germination if applied a couple of weeks ahead of expected harvest date.
 

AG Tim

Member
I thought about mixing ryegras with clover and wintervetch as a cover crop and want to blend it with Urea and slug pellets and spread it before ear emergence as we do it normaly only with n fertilizers to asure higher protein contents in the wheat.
 

AG Tim

Member
Tried it now
I ve Put some water to the seed for more weight and to make it stick on the Urea a bit.
 

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AG Tim

Member
Mixed it with the loader and also mixed some slug pellets in.

Found some Slugs in the field, so i think it wouldnt work without.

The slugpellets wont fly that far like fertilizer and, as it seemed now, the seed too.
 

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AG Tim

Member
Axial wouldnt be the problem as it is to late anyway, i think next week all ears should be developed.

Bigger problems are longer lasting sulphonylurea herbicides. But there wasnt use for it, only some bromes on headlands, black grass and Other problems like thistles was controlled in OSR before wheat. Only had to kill cleavers and knotweeds - but all as late as possible with tribenuron and fluroxipyr in low dose.

Biggest issue would be

Slugs?
Slug pellets (spreading? Maybe they stick on ears?!)
Growth of the seeds could be difficult at harvest

We will see
 

AG Tim

Member
Found the first swollen Clover seedlings and first dying Slugs (but perhaps also some pellets sticking on leafes of the wheat!?)

After a little shower the fert disolved completely.

Also tried a Mix with radish, yellow mustard, buckwheat and Clover with the Same Mix with Urea and slug pellets the Day before - there are little seedlings on the mustard seeds.

Its now very warm here with high moisture in the canopy - our latest seeded maize whas planted on Monday last week and today you can see the rows with two emerging leaves per plant - everything is very fast growing now. So iam sceptic if the Cover Crops grow too fast?!
 

AG Tim

Member
Its growing.. The wheat has flowered and the Kernels are swelling now.

Dont know how the radish will develope, i think it has to stay the next 5-6 weeks under the canopy till we Start harvest.

The wheat stand is thin and with 33cm row distance and 20cm seed Bands the Cover crop will grow in a kind of a light-shaft.
I hope it wont grow over the wheat?!?
 

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Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
@Brisel How big an area have you to do ,done some thing similar Had the areo drill out other day doing some under sowing ,and not a Kuhn areo either And pulled the shaker stick behind

150 acres of turnips. What do you mean by an areo drill? What's a shaker stick? Sorry - I don't speak Auto Correct!
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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