Best way to establish a cover crop with chopped straw.

[Colliedog]

We have been growing cover crops for a few years and this year I have been thinking of the best method of establishment whilst also chopping the straw?

A few options I can think of are,
Cultivate with a seed box,
Direct Drill,
Direct Broadcast
Stubble rake and broadcast
Broadcast into the standing crop.

I don’t have a big armoury of machinery but feel I am going to have to invest in an efficient way of doing this. This year I cultivated the straw into the soil and put the seed on with an old boom spreader which works apart from its labour intensive when I’m busy with harvest, and kind of defeats the object of a cover crop in my mind.

I quite like the thought of a boom spreader in a standing crop, but would the micro climate at the bottom of the crop be enough to establish a good crop and would the chopped straw act as a mulch over the new crop?

Our farm is chalky loam with a few clay caps. We are also in the Poole Harbour catchment area so cover crops are a must from now on. Just really looking for advice from experience for the best way to establish a good cover crop.

 

[steveR]

When do you want to establish the cover crop? What crop?

I use my Aitchison* drill into chopped straw stubble with an Autumn or Spring sown Bumblebird type mix. One pass operation in most cases.

A really good chop and spread seem important to avoid too much mulch, but the drill tine seems to "bulldoze" loose straw to one side if it has been left for a week or 3 after combining. Do NOT drill too deep, which is easily done

If you are happy with a simple brassica cover crop, getting something blown into the crop prior to harvest can work, but from personal experience, success is dictated by the weather.




Tined box drill, similiar to SimTec drills... and others.

 

[Colliedog]

When do you want to establish the cover crop? What crop?

I use my Aitchison* drill into chopped straw stubble with an Autumn or Spring sown Bumblebird type mix. One pass operation in most cases.

A really good chop and spread seem important to avoid too much mulch, but the drill tine seems to "bulldoze" loose straw to one side if it has been left for a week or 3 after combining. Do NOT drill too deep, which is easily done

If you are happy with a simple brassica cover crop, getting something blown into the crop prior to harvest can work, but from personal experience, success is dictated by the weather.




Tined box drill, similiar to SimTec drills... and others.

Usually an oil radish, phacelia type mix. Can’t help thinking the earlier established the better.

 

[steveR]

Usually an oil radish, phacelia type mix. Can’t help thinking the earlier established the better.

The phacelia gets up and going quickly, but likes a smidge of soil around it, but it's so cheap, you could broadcast and hope the mix takes?

BUT, but, but..... Make sure your herbicide program in the cereals prior to using a Cover crop, is one that will not persist on the top of the soil. If it is, then some discing might well be order of the day prior to planting however you do it.

 

[Brisel]

We have been growing cover crops for a few years and this year I have been thinking of the best method of establishment whilst also chopping the straw?

A few options I can think of are,
Cultivate with a seed box,
Direct Drill,
Direct Broadcast
Stubble rake and broadcast
Broadcast into the standing crop.

I don’t have a big armoury of machinery but feel I am going to have to invest in an efficient way of doing this. This year I cultivated the straw into the soil and put the seed on with an old boom spreader which works apart from its labour intensive when I’m busy with harvest, and kind of defeats the object of a cover crop in my mind.

I quite like the thought of a boom spreader in a standing crop, but would the micro climate at the bottom of the crop be enough to establish a good crop and would the chopped straw act as a mulch over the new crop?

Our farm is chalky loam with a few clay caps. We are also in the Poole Harbour catchment area so cover crops are a must from now on. Just really looking for advice from experience for the best way to establish a good cover crop.

I've hired a neighbour's pneumatic fertiliser spreader to sow turnips & cover crops with when I was just east of Blandford also on the chalk. Best into standing wheat within 5 days of harvest. Leave the stubble as long as you can whilst cutting the ears. For some reason, this method never worked well with spring barley, even when baling the straw. I guess there's too much restriction for sunlight where a wheat crop opens up as it dies off.

How big do you want the cover to be?

 

[Colliedog]

I've hired a neighbour's pneumatic fertiliser spreader to sow turnips & cover crops with when I was just east of Blandford also on the chalk. Best into standing wheat within 5 days of harvest. Leave the stubble as long as you can whilst cutting the ears. For some reason, this method never worked well with spring barley, even when baling the straw. I guess there's too much restriction for sunlight where a wheat crop opens up as it dies off.

How big do you want the cover to be?

Thank you, that makes sense. I guess that’s the other side, dealing with the trash of a heavy cover crop. I’m more after getting a good reliable establishment before winter.
We are just outside of Dorchester so similar land. It’s been constant arable with the straw sold away since the seventy’s so I feel it’s time to put some thing back.

 

[michael N123]

Plough and combi drill

 

[Badshot]

Mustard , radish, oats, linseed.
Drilled with tineseeder, then ring rolled. Plenty of moisture.

About 6-7 weeks post drilling.
Unless sfi24 becomes more amenable to my requirements I'll probably just do the mustard as it's been very effective this year.

 

[Badshot]

Direct drilled.

 

[DieselRob]

I haven’t tried the broadcast in to standing crop method, I would like to but those around me (albeit in Yorkshire not Devon) haven’t had much consistent success, I have drilled all mine with a direct tine drill for the last 4 years and it has always done well but I have a straw rake and stocks seeder that is on the winter jobs list to marry up for the purpose of cover crops next year

 

[Colliedog]

Mustard , radish, oats, linseed.
Drilled with tineseeder, then ring rolled. Plenty of moisture.

About 6-7 weeks post drilling.
Unless sfi24 becomes more amenable to my requirements I'll probably just do the mustard as it's been very effective this year.

That’s impressive this is mine sown 5 weeks ago

 

[Colliedog]

I haven’t tried the broadcast in to standing crop method, I would like to but those around me (albeit in Yorkshire not Devon) haven’t had much consistent success, I have drilled all mine with a direct tine drill for the last 4 years and it has always done well but I have a straw rake and stocks seeder that is on the winter jobs list to marry up for the purpose of cover crops next year

I keep thinking this would be a good solution for small seeds cover crops. Do you get a bit of tilth with the rake after a couple of passes?

 

[DieselRob]

I keep thinking this would be a good solution for small seeds cover crops. Do you get a bit of tilth with the rake after a couple of passes?

Yes it does create a bit of tilth, how much depends on how dry it is after harvest, I’m wondering if 1 pass with the rake then a pass with the rolls would be the way to do it if time allowed

 

[Badshot]

That’s impressive this is mine sown 5 weeks ago

I was lucky with moisture.
Now I wish the moisture would go away

 

[Colliedog]

I was lucky with moisture.
Now I wish the moisture would go away

A dry chalk farm is lovely especially at the moment. But does bring challenges at other times!

 

[Badshot]

I think the real secret to drilling summer covers is as close behind the combine as possible with a tine drill and roll well.

I drilled a couple fields that were totally devoid of moisture.
The tines pretty much skipped across the surface, but did place the seed on clean soil and scattered a bit of crumb around.
Then rolled in.
It's got a very strong cover on it
Doing a cracking job of keeping the soil alive and draining well.

 

[Phil P]

I just blow the seed in front of the packer on my short discs.

 

[Phil P]

I just blow the seed in front of the packer on my short discs.

Established all my AHL2 behind the combine this was as well.

 

[Colliedog]

I think the real secret to drilling summer covers is as close behind the combine as possible with a tine drill and roll well.

I drilled a couple fields that were totally devoid of moisture.
The tines pretty much skipped across the surface, but did place the seed on clean soil and scattered a bit of crumb around.
Then rolled in.
It's got a very strong cover on it
Doing a cracking job of keeping the soil alive and draining well.

Have you tried it in chopped straw?

 

[Colliedog]

Established all my AHL2 behind the combine this was as well.

A crop like that would be perfect!