Autumn cover crop

[Banana Bar]

Is it worth trying to establish a cover crop between a first and second wheat? If so what species should I be thinking about, don't want brassicas due to slug pressure and ideally would avoid cereals due to the green bridge. I don't think it needs to be massive either. Possibly buckwheat, linseed, peas / beans.

BB

 

[deleted user 837354]

Vetch likely to have more get up and go than peas/beans?

 

[Brisel]

Buckwheat should be cheap and quick growing. I've never had slug problems with mustard - too spicy for them?

 

[clbarclay]

Have you notice and difference in slug pressure following mustard compared to other brassicas?

 

[Clive]

Is it worth trying to establish a cover crop between a first and second wheat? If so what species should I be thinking about, don't want brassicas due to slug pressure and ideally would avoid cereals due to the green bridge. I don't think it needs to be massive either. Possibly buckwheat, linseed, peas / beans.

BB

i think so yes - i have a continuous wheat experiment here on 40ac with cover crop as a break, so far i’m seeing first wheat yields from it (yr4)

you need cheap, fast growing stuff as time limited so we are going mustard, linseed, spring oats and sunflower

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

i think so yes - i have a continuous wheat experiment here on 40ac with cover crop as a break, so far i’m seeing first wheat yields from it (yr4)

you need cheap, fast growing stuff as time limited so we are going mustard, linseed, spring oats and sunflower

What land type Clive? Is there a thread running?

 

[Banana Bar]

i think so yes - i have a continuous wheat experiment here on 40ac with cover crop as a break, so far i’m seeing first wheat yields from it (yr4)

you need cheap, fast growing stuff as time limited so we are going mustard, linseed, spring oats and sunflower

Thanks Clive, sounds promising

 

[Will7]

i think so yes - i have a continuous wheat experiment here on 40ac with cover crop as a break, so far i’m seeing first wheat yields from it (yr4)

you need cheap, fast growing stuff as time limited so we are going mustard, linseed, spring oats and sunflower

@Clive What is the rough gap between harvest and drilling?

 

[moretimeforgolf]

Did this a few years ago. We used buckwheat and phacelia. Established early August and terminated early October. Don’t usually grow second wheat so thought the cover crop would act as a mini break. Decent crop followed.

 

[Alistair Nelson]

i think so yes - i have a continuous wheat experiment here on 40ac with cover crop as a break, so far i’m seeing first wheat yields from it (yr4)

you need cheap, fast growing stuff as time limited so we are going mustard, linseed, spring oats and sunflower

Be interested to know what you've tried cover cropwise in this situation as looking at this next 2nd winter cereal and also have you tried starter ferts, stubble breaking down mystery brews, did you bale the straw. This would be mainly after Skyfall where we would be chopping the straw just to ramp up the pressure little more!!

Cheers

Alistair

 

[Howdenshire Farmer]

Buckwheat should be cheap and quick growing. I've never had slug problems with mustard - too spicy for them?

There is some evidence from the PGRO vining pea cover/catch crop trial that catch crops with a high proportion of buckwheat can have a negative effect on the yield of the following wheat crop. I'm sure I have heard this claim from others too.

 

[Alistair Nelson]

There was an interesting trial on the outskirts of Driffield where 50% of a 80 acre field was drilled with wheat in to chopped buck wheat catch crop after peas and the other half was drilled into the standing buckwheat and then rounded the following week. The one drilled into the standing buckwheat appeared to struggle to start with But is night and day a better crop now.