Can't make it work

[JCfarmer]

Had a very interesting chat with Jeff Claydon this evening, we discussed what issues there were and solutions to resolve them.
Some very good suggestions on this thread too and I have a plan to sort them for next year

Hi Rob have you sorted your issues? Interested in dd with Claydon but also considering a low disturbance easy to pull soil loosener like the Tillso Advantage would be better, carrier then tine drill? Different operations at different angles = less slug pressure.

 

[Brisel]

I'd be interested to hear too @Rob Holmes . I've just done my first season with a Hybrid and rake. And lots of slug pellets.

The rake was well worth it. You could see to a line where only a part field got done with the rake. Lots more slugs.

No failures but 2 fields where I wasn't quick enough with the pellets - as above, get the first lot on after the drill within 24 hours or it's an uphill struggle.

 

[willy]

Not to rub salt into the wound, but I must say with the weaving gd the slugs have been far less of a problem compared to what I used to have with a Claydon, this is not quite fair as I haven't used a Claydon this year so I am judging it on the last 7 years Claydon experience. I think it's mainly due to the soil being tighter Around the seed(I.e less disturbance)

 

[Badshot]

Slugs have been much less of an issue this year for me.
I've had several years on the trot with horrendous slug burdens.
Bur I did very, very shallow disc everything this year.

 

[Rob Holmes]

Cheers @JCfarmer & @Brisel,

Slug control is a lot better here, we've used at least 50% pellets this year compared to last and not lost a field, all crops looking well.

Several reasons for this;

The first and main was was the phone call from Jeff Claydon as mentioned before, and we implemented that plan (although not word for word), also, as you probably know, I did my BASIS this year and my project was slug control using metaldehyde and ferric phosphate, and at different rates in a growing crop of wheat (not sure if I'm allowed to publish it here if anyone wants to read it?)

So in a nutshell we now:

• Refuge trap (Yes, i actually do!)
• In heavy trash crops such as OSR and beans, we will run a cultivator though to mix it in but only to a depth of 2 inches max, Jeff suggested the Terrastar and we tried it but whilst it made a good job the bean haulm wrapped, so we used a set of heavy discs, but we have just ordered a Cousins Surface cultivator, which made a real impressive job when it came on demo.
• Follow up with the stubble rake after 10-14 days later, the pre-cultivated ground makes the stubble rake so much better, this smashes any weed cotyledons, gets any weeds to germinate, exposes slug eggs and kills slugs. We aim to rake every 14 days until ready to drill

It's still not perfect but is going the right way.

Second raking in OSR stubble after discing:

A few days ago:

 

[Andrew K]

We have only done 1 ha with pellets this year, but I put that down to no rape for three years plus use of the Terrastar is probably deterring them too.
Most slug damage occurs when consolidation is poor TBH.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Are beans a heavy trash crop?

 

[Rob Holmes]

The chopped haulm goes like cotten wool and knits together

 

[Shutesy]

@Rob Holmes glad things have improved on the slug front. I would be very interested to read your BASIS pellet project as we are using both Metaldehyde and Ferric Phosphate here.

 

[rob1]

Cheers @JCfarmer & @Brisel,

Slug control is a lot better here, we've used at least 50% pellets this year compared to last and not lost a field, all crops looking well.

Several reasons for this;

The first and main was was the phone call from Jeff Claydon as mentioned before, and we implemented that plan (although not word for word), also, as you probably know, I did my BASIS this year and my project was slug control using metaldehyde and ferric phosphate, and at different rates in a growing crop of wheat (not sure if I'm allowed to publish it here if anyone wants to read it?)

So in a nutshell we now:

• Refuge trap (Yes, i actually do!)
• In heavy trash crops such as OSR and beans, we will run a cultivator though to mix it in but only to a depth of 2 inches max, Jeff suggested the Terrastar and we tried it but whilst it made a good job the bean haulm wrapped, so we used a set of heavy discs, but we have just ordered a Cousins Surface cultivator, which made a real impressive job when it came on demo.
• Follow up with the stubble rake after 10-14 days later, the pre-cultivated ground makes the stubble rake so much better, this smashes any weed cotyledons, gets any weeds to germinate, exposes slug eggs and kills slugs. We aim to rake every 14 days until ready to drill

It's still not perfect but is going the right way.

Second raking in OSR stubble after discing:

A few days ago:

Not trying to be critical but doesnt having to do these passes rather negate the point of trying to use strip/direct drilling ?

I have done a couple of part fields trials with a low disturbance subsoiler to try and get a bit more air into the soil and reduce the stripes where the trash sits

 

[Rob Holmes]

Not trying to be critical but doesnt having to do these passes rather negate the point of trying to use strip/direct drilling ?

I have done a couple of part fields trials with a low disturbance subsoiler to try and get a bit more air into the soil and reduce the stripes where the trash sits

Maybe so, but that is only done for high trash situations, quite often we go into raked stubble.
It gives us another tool which isn't reliant on chem... its also helping the grass weed situation

 

[Louis Mc]

I think you could soon miss the point if you start cultivating 2" deep regularly. If you can't go direct after beans your drill is crap

 

[Rob Holmes]

Here's my project, don't expect too much, it ain't a Phd thesis!

 

[Rob Holmes]

I think you could soon miss the point if you start cultivating 2" deep regularly. If you can't go direct after beans your drill is crap

We get more trash from beans than OSR, and even with a new set of knives in combine, the trash goes wooly and knits together, so thens to bridge across the tines

 

[Shutesy]

Here's my project, don't expect too much, it ain't a Phd thesis!

Thanks Rob will get reading, should be interesting.

 

[Xylon]

I think a more diverse rotation is needed for heavy land could u add oats and cut out second cereal even fallow as an option on the heavier parts w barley is hard to grow in heavy soils so maybe put it in after break crops

 

[SilliamWhale]

The chopped haulm goes like cotten wool and knits together

Never found a problem with it personally

 

[Rob Holmes]

We have put some barley into rotation to help spread harvest work load and give us time to play with stubbles.
The people we contract farm for want as much area in wheat as possible as they think its the best margin.... we do as we're told.
Beans do well here and normally get over 2t/acre with human consumption, so we have 4 crops in rotation and don't want to complicate it more.
What we are doing is a world away from last year

 

[Sprayer 1]

I have read through this post with interest as this is our first year of DD. More by chance than judgement when working late after dark, I took the rolls across a stubble and found squashed slugs both on the rolls and on the stubble, Does anyone go rolling at night in order to cut down the population?

 

[damaged]

Its probably not metal nor chemical, but biology thats the slug control we are looking for. This is sadly much more complex. Needing longer and wider rotations and animals or at least manure / compost. Organic mixed farms don't worry about slugs. Farming organically, conventionally and some no-till , Ive yet to transfer the success from Org to notill.
On the notill, headlands faired much better. So in the absence of biological control, heavy rolling is my best friend.