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companion cropped o.s.r
- Thread starter juke
- Start date
did you kill the companion off or was it still present,
- Location
- Top of the Chilterns
Berseem clover here established really well and was much prouder of the rape through the autumn than the year before. Best field of rape also had best clover. Astrokerb did for it, but the clover stems were pretty woody and I was hopeful that these would keep the pigeons off. It hasn't worked unfortunately, and best field of rape now looks some of the worst!
- Location
- Yorkshire coast
Our berseem clover was broadcast after the drill before we rolled it. The rain,pigeons,slugs left a few big bald patches by new year and the frost and snow wiped out the remaining clover a few weeks ago. I think the clover mostly helped the rape because its growing in places it didn't the last time the field grew rape.
- Location
- CW5 Cheshire
I'm guessing @RTK Farmer didn't get many pigeons in his companion cropped rape!
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/astrokerb.195736/page-2#post-4664070
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/astrokerb.195736/page-2#post-4664070
My vetch/berseem clover companions were wiped out by Astrokerb too. The crop is ok but is a bit thinner than the non CC stuff next door. The pigeons have been kept at bay by gas bangers but choosing a field surrounded by trees hasn't made that any easier.
I used vetch and buckwheat. Frost did for buckwheat, and took out the vetch with astrokerb. Pigeons never touched it, not sure why, but my theory is that while companions were there it was hard to land in, and also it drew the OSR up, so it was very big by the time the companions were dead. Low seed rate of 35 plants for the OSR normally means we get more pigeon damage as they can land in it for longer. Something took the tops out of the control strip I left with no companions which says enough to me that it helps with pigeon control to an extent, so will do more next year, as they have been a sod on all the other bits!
- Location
- Essex/Herts Border
Think i will try some here next year and hope your proved right
Anything that helps keep the bleedin pigeons off!
I was more impressed with the apparent confusion it gave to CSFB to be honest. May have been a fluke, but certainly worth proceeding with. My rationale was that an OP variety plus companion seed was still cheaper than hybrid seed which I also grow, so the seed spend wasn't significantly putting me off. No autumn N or pre/post em weed control until astroberb means that the spend so far is less than my usual system. See how it yields!Think i will try some here next year and hope your proved right
what seed rate did you drill the vetch and buckwheat at ? n do you know the variety of vetch that you used ?
Vetch was Amelia at 10kgs/ha
Buckwheat was at 8kgs. I was pretty happy with rates of both
Buckwheat was at 8kgs. I was pretty happy with rates of both
- Location
- Cambridgeshire UK
Not to many pigeon probs apart from a couple of quiet sheltered headlands where slugs had already thinned it a bit. It helps having something for them to graze on on most of my other fields i think. Beans are a good shelter which with Buckwheat I’ll be doing on whole fields next year.
- Location
- Cambridgeshire UK
