A strange Spring?

[Flintstone]

Ok, putting the Winter/Spring rainfall aside for a minute, is anyone else finding this a strange Spring?

The local Reading University soil and air temperatures (link below) have been well above seasonal average, but I’m finding everything to be so slow to get away this year. We are now into the third week of April now, and it’s almost like a dormant Spring, certainly for Spring crops.

There’s an area of grass I’ve regularly cut for my own recreational use for 30 years now, and I’ve only had to cut it once so far. Normally by now I’d have done at least four cuts, and it would be romping away weekly.

Trees seem ever so slow to come into blossom, and crops I drilled back in mid Feb seem to be sitting at the same growth stage, with little willingness to move, for weeks now!

I know it’s been ever so wet, but something else seems to be going on.

Weather data - Dept of Meteorology - University of Reading

www.met.reading.ac.uk

 

[Zippy768]

Yep, it feels like the beginning of March not mid April.
Surprised to hear the temps above average. Apart from odd day, it has felt cold. Constant wind doesn't help.
Wheat still hasn't got going, neither the grass.

 

[Clive]

Ok, putting the Winter/Spring rainfall aside for a minute, is anyone else finding this a strange Spring?

The local Reading University soil and air temperatures (link below) have been well above seasonal average, but I’m finding everything to be so slow to get away this year. We are now into the third week of April now, and it’s almost like a dormant Spring, certainly for Spring crops.

There’s an area of grass I’ve regularly cut for my own recreational use for 30 years now, and I’ve only had to cut it once so far. Normally by now I’d have done at least four cuts, and it would be romping away weekly.

Trees seem ever so slow to come into blossom, and crops I drilled back in mid Feb seem to be sitting at the same growth stage, with little willingness to move, for weeks now!

I know it’s been ever so wet, but something else seems to be going on.

Weather data - Dept of Meteorology - University of Reading

www.met.reading.ac.uk

yes - we are lucky to have well established winter wheat and barley here . - it’s had all inputs at the right timing m, barley had had all its N now and wheat has had 80% of its total yet it’s not really got moving at all yet

hot then cold / cloudy and changeable weather the reason i think

 

[glasshouse]

Went to look at rape today, it wasnt there.

 

[Spencer]

Was like January on Monday.. white over with hail! Not sown a grain yet but should get going this weekend. It’s a late spring, still cut the lawns 4 times now though

 

[glasshouse]

Was like January on Monday.. white over with hail! Not sown a grain yet but should get going this weekend. It’s a late spring, still cut the lawns 4 times now though

Seeders going……down mostly

 

[Spencer]

Seeders going……down mostly

Dried well today! Shame tomorrows rain will undo it

 

[Iben]

Went to look at rape today, it wasnt there.

Did someone leave the gate open?

Bast###ds!

 

[Iben]

Seeders going……down mostly

Yep. Looks ok on the surface, porridge underneath.

 

[Dry Rot]

Looking back, I remember first cut of silage on Valentine's day. 1956 I think and it was S22 ryegrass. Near Stoke Gabriel, South Devon.

 

[Punch]

Talking to an agronomist and stating our spring wheats been slow to get going and he reckoned all the rain has pushed the oxygen out the soils. That is then slowing root & shoot development.
I was just saying it’s the continual rain that’s keeping soils cold and slowing growth.
Not sure who’s right but it’s been in 3 weeks and only just coming!

 

[Clive]

variation in soil temps on our monitor, i think this explains a lot of it - and still hero b these cold night time temperatures

 

[glasshouse]

Some spring barley fields now have a perfect map of bad drainage.

 

[PSQ]

Talking to an agronomist and stating our spring wheats been slow to get going and he reckoned all the rain has pushed the oxygen out the soils. That is then slowing root & shoot development.
I was just saying it’s the continual rain that’s keeping soils cold and slowing growth.
Not sure who’s right but it’s been in 3 weeks and only just coming!

I had to look at your location, as I was talking to an agronomist from Northumberland yesterday who was saying exactly the same thing about lack of oxygen in the soil, but in winter wheat.
First wheats are still on the back foot from Atlantis and barely recovering, 2nd wheats were looking good but now thinning rapidly from the weather, but bizarrely 3rd wheats are thriving and looking lush like a forward 1st wheat should, it’s completely arse about tit.
OSR has finally started to sprint, apart from the 10 to 15% that’s been sat in saturated soil for 7 months stuck at a spindly 6” tall.

 

[SRE]

J

 

[Punch]

I had to look at your location, as I was talking to an agronomist from Northumberland yesterday who was saying exactly the same thing about lack of oxygen in the soil, but in winter wheat.
First wheats are still on the back foot from Atlantis and barely recovering, 2nd wheats were looking good but now thinning rapidly from the weather, but bizarrely 3rd wheats are thriving and looking lush like a forward 1st wheat should, it’s completely arse about tit.
OSR has finally started to sprint, apart from the 10 to 15% that’s been sat in saturated soil for 7 months stuck at a spindly 6” tall.

Might be singing from same sheet.
Whether it’s location, soil type (clay it’s even in the field name!) or just the flipping amount of rain?

 

[bobk]

Urea been on 7 weeks here and crops have barely moved , has the fert gone now ?

 

[glasshouse]

I had to look at your location, as I was talking to an agronomist from Northumberland yesterday who was saying exactly the same thing about lack of oxygen in the soil, but in winter wheat.
First wheats are still on the back foot from Atlantis and barely recovering, 2nd wheats were looking good but now thinning rapidly from the weather, but bizarrely 3rd wheats are thriving and looking lush like a forward 1st wheat should, it’s completely arse about tit.
OSR has finally started to sprint, apart from the 10 to 15% that’s been sat in saturated soil for 7 months stuck at a spindly 6” tall.

Get the ripper out, or the plough

 

[Two Tone]

Ok, putting the Winter/Spring rainfall aside for a minute, is anyone else finding this a strange Spring?

The local Reading University soil and air temperatures (link below) have been well above seasonal average, but I’m finding everything to be so slow to get away this year. We are now into the third week of April now, and it’s almost like a dormant Spring, certainly for Spring crops.

There’s an area of grass I’ve regularly cut for my own recreational use for 30 years now, and I’ve only had to cut it once so far. Normally by now I’d have done at least four cuts, and it would be romping away weekly.

Trees seem ever so slow to come into blossom, and crops I drilled back in mid Feb seem to be sitting at the same growth stage, with little willingness to move, for weeks now!

I know it’s been ever so wet, but something else seems to be going on.

Weather data - Dept of Meteorology - University of Reading

www.met.reading.ac.uk

I think the excessive wet is the cause. Light land isn’t so badly affected.
And my lawn will not stop growing!

 

[PSQ]

Urea been on 7 weeks here and crops have barely moved , has the fert gone now ?

I could see where I'd run out of fert on wheat (N2, 2 weeks ago), so it's definitely taking it in.
Problem being theres been very little sunshine over the last few months, and theres diddly squat showing in the 10 day forecast.
It seems stuck on '99%' cloud cover, very similar to the shite spring of 2013