It'll be fine. You'll not see ears before you graze, and even if you do there won't be any viable seed for a long time. Its got to flower first.No not yet but if it stays mild for much longer who knows!!!
Have some bunny hugging stubbles which I topped three weeks ago to remove oat and BG ears, only helped it tiller now twice as bad and potentially big ears not usual late season ones.If it has heads on, in a decent cover, then I'd flail top the heads (as low as you can go) now rather than spray it off, and thereby not lose the entire cover - if you top now, it definitely won't produce another head this year, and you won't've killed your cover crop either, as everything in that mix (including the Bg), will survive a topping.
If it hasn't heads on it, then don't worry, it isn't going to get any this year.if you find ANY that is flowering, I'd get the topper out, followed by the can.
I have absolute confidence in this where I farm, but have no idea where you are, so may very well stand corrected.
It's put on new big ears already? Wow! It has been very mild and wet I suppose. I don't think it'd do it again though....3 weeks ago I'd be in 2 minds whether I'd top or spray, but there's a big difference between then and now, climatically.Have some bunny hugging stubbles which I topped three weeks ago to remove oat and BG ears, only helped it tiller now twice as bad and potentially big ears not usual late season ones.
I've got a feeling that the sheep may be about to escape! Would be a nice green solution.It's put on new big ears already? Wow! It has been very mild and wet I suppose. I don't think it'd do it again though....3 weeks ago I'd be in 2 minds whether I'd top or spray, but there's a big difference between then and now, climatically.
Edit : However, if the cold weather doesn't come, then I see no reason except daylength, that it wouldn't put on another head, I guess. If I was looking at the BG as a crop, I wouldn't be holding out much hope for seed set this year.....
Can it flower, I would say No, mild but wet, is pollenation possible!I was wondering this. I've got BG which has headed in stubbles at the moment. Can it actually produce viable seed at this time of year?
I couldn't agree more. We have left BG until March and had a good kill but nothing grew in the areas where it was very thick. It needs several months to decay before the next crop is drilled, the smaller the seed ie: OSR the longer it needs to be left, beans and wheat are more tolerant. We have sprayed off all of our fields destined for spring crops where we have a BG problem.. they are now yellow. Hopefully we will get another hit before the spring germinating BG has more than two leaves. We are going to plough a few field before linseed just so that we will bring up old BG seed which I hope will be susceptible to Centurian Max as even that has not worked on some of worst BG. Spring cropping and cover crops are a great help in containing BG but we are going to have to go for two spring crops on one block of land (Sp Beans - Linseed) not very profitable but better than BG infested wheat costing (£) over a ton/acre to contain (not control or eliminate)If it is thick in the bottom, I would spray it off now as spring crops do not like being drilled into thick blackgrass residue, even if it has been sprayed off 6 weeks pre drilling in my experience.
This is an interesting approach. I would be loath to turn up any seed hoping the chemistry set might work ( we're you being tongue in cheek??). You have selected the 2 least competitive crops for blackgrass control.we are going to have to go for two spring crops on one block of land (Sp Beans - Linseed) not very profitable but better than BG infested wheat costing (£) ov
Blackgrass may not germinate in compost. It likes wet anaerobic, bacterialy dominant soil with little fungi. Most weed seeds will stay dormant until their favoured conditions are present, don't know how they know this, but they do.If bg is heading and flowers collect some seed and put them on a tray of compost and try to grow them to see if they are viable