Cambridge rolls to desiccate cover crops?

[steveR]

View attachment 1001726
This was a oil radish/oat/phacelia mix that a rolled with a Cambridge roll last January. Photo above 5 weeks later. IMO it does a good job if the conditions are good (-5) and a few more frosts after the rolling. Just used a low dose of glyphosate before drilling just to get the last few bits out!

One or two passes with the Rolls, @jimmy1978 ?

 

[James999]

View attachment 1001726
This was a oil radish/oat/phacelia mix that a rolled with a Cambridge roll last January. Photo above 5 weeks later. IMO it does a good job if the conditions are good (-5) and a few more frosts after the rolling. Just used a low dose of glyphosate before drilling just to get the last few bits out!

Thank you for you’re input much appreciated! Gives me hope that it might work! Shame it’s just wet at the moment need some hard frosts to come through!

 

[jack6480]

I really don’t see the point, if you roll it now then it will just bare the ground off defeating the object of a cc??? Please stay in the house by the fire and wait till April.

 

[James999]

I really don’t see the point, if you roll it now then it will just bare the ground off defeating the object of a cc??? Please stay in the house by the fire and wait till April.

It has been in the ground for nearly 5 months, it’s a very thick in places also, want to get it down and start breaking down as we don’t have the benefits of direct drill. We are also on very heavy ground so need it to dry out in the spring to get the following crop in at a reasonable time.

 

[Mc115reed]

It has been in the ground for nearly 5 months, it’s a very thick in places also, want to get it down and start breaking down as we don’t have the benefits of direct drill. We are also on very heavy ground so need it to dry out in the spring to get the following crop in at a reasonable time.

All that soil erosion over winter it’s only early December think of the planet! It’s still capturing carbon while it’s growing and green

 

[jack6480]

All that soil erosion over winter it’s only early December think of the planet! It’s still capturing carbon while it’s growing and green

Very true. Think of the micro climate under the cover crop compared to bare soil

 

[James999]

All that soil erosion over winter it’s only early December think of the planet! It’s still capturing carbon while it’s growing and green

Haha I know where you’re coming from, in an ideal world it would be green till we drill but sadly it’s not. We do not have an issue with soil erosion because of our heavy ground, drains run clean 99% of the time so that’s not our primary reason for a cover crop but to improve soil biodiversity which it has done and also feed the worms which it would do among a host of other beneficial reasons. Like I said we are on heavy clay and need a bit of soil showing to allow a final chit of BG and also start drying and warming the soils up to get spring crops away quickly as this can take a lot longer than on light land.

 

[James999]

I really don’t see the point, if you roll it now then it will just bare the ground off defeating the object of a cc??? Please stay in the house by the fire and wait till April.

The cover crop is fairly thick, will need plenty of time for allow the worms etc to break the plants down before we come in with our tine drill. Don’t want it blocking up every run.