Catch Crop

[Cross farmer]

How late can we sow a catch crop before Winter wheat is sown ? Late harvest prevented us from being able to establish earlier but want to do something to rectify damaged soil after last years wet drilling conditions.

 

[robbie]

When are you planning to drill your wheat???? What ever you drill now won't do very much, perhaps some cheap mustard and or buckwheat which will flower in 40 days when conditions are right.
To rectify soul damage you need big deep rooting crops which it's too late for now

 

[Cross farmer]

Thanks. I'll take your advice and not try and do catch crop at this late stage. Plan to drill mid to late Oct.

 

[robbie]

I don't think its worth it for a month.
If you need to remove compaction put the seed cost towards ploughing or subsoiling it

 

[farmerm]

Well if you want to hold off sowing winter wheat until Febuary and ruin the soil again....

 

[robbie]

Why would ploughing/subsoiling ruin the soil and prevent drilling until Feb??????
There's 100 of thousands of acres that will be ploughed/drilled this autumn

 

[Cross farmer]

I don't think its worth it for a month.
If you need to remove compaction put the seed cost towards ploughing or subsoiling it

Yes. I think that is what we will do. Thanks