Balansa clover

[TelesnaAg]

I put my Shaftal clover in March-April and water it up, no chemical.
MCPA early for broadleaves, knocks the clover, but it recovers. Graze all winter and spray out grasses in the spring.

I will be doing the same...i swear the pre em favours the slug...anywhere sprayer missed the clover has pulled away from any slug damage...and when roaming around at night stuff all slugs in those areas..

At 13kg ha sowing rate there was enough plants that slugs could never keep up...im so wild with myself i never follwed my gut instinct and do it the way i wanted...had the agro out and they only learn by your mistakes...they have no fu*kin idea...all they know is sell chemical and sell bait...sell disease protection...its a merry go round trap...if ever there was a moment thats made me want to head down a more holistic farming style its this...

In future i will inspect for slugs before season and if there is some...i will
Mechanical harrow at night....then sow with harrow bar and small seedds box at night and get another kill...

Also seding in rows is not the way to go as slugs work the most effeciently when you line all there food up in a row...they kill more than if they had to wander to every seed...in that time crop would get a way...

Not a lesson im in the mood of learning but i have learnt alot that will serve me well in future...balansa at $2 a kg i could have laid it on so thick that slugs would never keep up and my dirt would be healthier...i will be vary wary of any chemical that hits the dirt in future...a fungicide in wheat or barley i could probably stomach but anything that can hit the dirt needs scruitnising...

A cambridge roller needs to be added to my equipment list as well...

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Just got home, my re seed job appears to have worked...its a 2 leaf...not sure if it will fizzle but its a good start...metarex hammered the slugs...i will check tomorrow nite and see if any sneaky buggers around...bait is still in tact and some still around so its good gear...hope to not have to use to much in future....what was groing is slow due to chem...but overall its slowly forming some rows...need a dry winter and so far so good,..

Hoping i dont need to sow spring oats but im keen to try them....

Will get some pics tomorrow to post...

Be nice if this situation turns around...luckily some valuable lessons learnt.

Ant....

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Just got home, my re seed job appears to have worked...its a 2 leaf...not sure if it will fizzle but its a good start...metarex hammered the slugs...i will check tomorrow nite and see if any sneaky buggers around...bait is still in tact and some still around so its good gear...hope to not have to use to much in future....what was groing is slow due to chem...but overall its slowly forming some rows...need a dry winter and so far so good,..

Hoping i dont need to sow spring oats but im keen to try them....

Will get some pics tomorrow to post...

Be nice if this situation turns around...luckily some valuable lessons learnt.

Ant....

Would be interesting to see what price you can get diatomaceous earth over there.
That will crisp up your slugs without resorting to chemical warfare, worth looking into at least.
I might hit my planned pea paddock with some if my other methods aren't working in the springtime.

 

[TelesnaAg]

Well just did night time inspection...slugs are gone...the odd few still coming in from neighbours paddock...which is its usual mess.

So far its staying on the drier side so clover has a chance but i fear winter will kill it once it hooks in...i dont think i will bother sowing spring crop i will just try and get this stand right..might cut some hay or silage and re sow the odd area in spring if required and get set for seed in 2018..

What a root....

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Pics from today

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

First pic is of the better stuff....going ok but slow from chem.

Second is some of the seed i broadcasted last week...seems to have taken...will monitor closely to see if dirt is hot from chem

Third pic...some good rows showing...slug bait worked a treat....so its recovering but there are plaints gone a funny orange colour which is not where you he sprayer missed so id say chem damage.

If the broadcasted seed takes ok and i get a dry winter this might make a stand yet...wont be brilliant...but hopefully viable...luckily i wasnt counting on feed...

Ant....

 

[CornishTone]

Clover, along with everything else, is slow over here. It's as dry as a chip! Desperately need rain in the next week/10 days or there's going to be problems all round.

Edit: and as I wrote that it started raining!

 

[TelesnaAg]

Would be interesting to see what price you can get diatomaceous earth over there.
That will crisp up your slugs without resorting to chemical warfare, worth looking into at least.
I might hit my planned pea paddock with some if my other methods aren't working in the springtime.

What is this stuff u speak off Pete?

Ant..

 

[TelesnaAg]

I hav plant numbers just no growth..plenty moisture....cold and chem...found a slug thus mirning that chewed some bait spread 10 days ago now...rolled him...

I wont need sheep any time soon...

Ant....

 

[TelesnaAg]

And my shed slab hehe ..mid july i will put it up...

Ant...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

What is this stuff u speak off Pete?

Ant..

DE or diatomaceous earth..
It's (for want of a better simple description) fossilized remains of diatoms.
Very gritty sort of flour..
It is a natural insecticide- harms anything with an exoskeleton, and seems to repel slugs as long as it's dry. When wet it's like cornflour.. and slugs snails happily tolerate it.
I have an area of DE in a fairly central area of the farm for stock to wallow in, I tipped a couple of bags out on the ground and my stock roll on it instead of having to use pour-on etc for lice. A teaspoon on a struck lamb and the maggos drop off.. you can put it in feed to get rid of worms etc or drench it into them.. very handy stuff for us organic style farmers and I'd get 200kg of it for less than 20 litres of sheep drench
it's not recommended for slug repellent but it works. more recommended for insects.
Salt is just as effective for slug control, but iron phosphate is the best (keep it away from cats/farm dogs much like metaldehyde pellets)

 

[TelesnaAg]

Sounds like some good sh*t....

Luckily my wish for a drought is coming true....

Ant....

 

[CornishTone]

Sounds like some good sh*t....

Luckily my wish for a drought is coming true....

Ant....

Had a whole 2mm here on Friday!

Will keep things alive but we need an awful lot more to get us out of the woods, and it isn't looking hopeful!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Sounds like some good sh*t....

Luckily my wish for a drought is coming true....

Ant....

Does that work?
Standing water in some paddocks around here at the start of the week

 

[TelesnaAg]

Had a whole 2mm here on Friday!

Will keep things alive but we need an awful lot more to get us out of the woods, and it isn't looking hopeful!

Its turning pear shaped quick for alot...cant believe they are dry...south of the ranges here is wet...

Hope you get a drop soon....crop,prices should start to rise i hope...

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Does that work?
Standing water in some paddocks around here at the start of the week

Weve had 450mm for year so far and i have clover plants just germinated...so really need some dry to let them get going so they can handle some wet..a below average winter here will grow the same amount of feed as above average...the dew here is as good as a couple mm each morning..about 7pm you get wet if outside...

The lowest rainfall ive had is around 750mm for the year...dry spring...

I havent got any ground set up for spring cropping...if i get this new farm might have to do a small piece....

Alot of oz has gone dry?

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Chem damage and its recovering...

Ant...

 

[scholland]

Been pretty under whelmed with the balansa so far but the last day or so it seems to have woken up.

 

[TelesnaAg]

Walked mine tonight...man the chem has given it a hiding... Its grown a little bit but non sprayed areas is bolting along...depressing....some of the reseed clover has gone red at 3 leaf and died...

I will call agro tomorrow and put in a claim...will wait until spring to see what it does as it may get to a point and not go any further...

Wil get some pics tomorrow...

Ant....

 

[neilo]

Been pretty under whelmed with the balansa so far but the last day or so it seems to have woken up.
View attachment 541602View attachment 541604

IIRC it supposed to emerge, then sit and do bugger all while it puts down an extensive root system, then all hell breaks loose......

I saw some a couple of weeks ago, in a ley that had just been mown. It had quite extensive growth, with masses of long stolons from each plant.