Cover Crop choice in the Autumn?

[steveR]

Following a chat with my STW adviser, I am looking at moving across a 7-8ha block of very heavy, low lying clay into a grass herbal mix, for grazing and/or conservation. The fine details will be sketched out this Summer! The land has been in cereals since it came out of low input reversion grassland in 2010, and is looking sad...

The land will be coming out of SB in August, (if the CFA lads ever drill it after failing to get WW in!) and would go into the ley, May 2021. I am wondering what the best overwintering CC is likely to be for this land, that will lead into the ley. Assuming probably not a cereal based CC before the ley, but want something easy to take out and DD into. Any thoughts??

 

[teslacoils]

Subsoil in some winter beans?

 

[jack6480]

Why not just get on and drill the grass?

 

[e3120]

Or put it under the barley. That'd be true no-till in autumn or spring.

 

[cotswoldcs]

I know it affects what chemical control options but if spring barley is going to be planted late due to the weather (April onwards) then an undersown ley (ryegrass & clover) will be worth considering. Yes spring barley yield will be lower but you'll have a ready made grass ley that will withstand a wet autumn far better.

If you are needing a cover crop for EFA reasons then you might need to reconsider but I can't think of a better cover crop than an undersown ley.

 

[Great In Grass]

A cheap(ish) mix like Tillage Radish with Berseem or Crimson Clover? This will improve subsurface drainage via the deep root penetration, plus increasing residual soil N levels.

Getting a Herbal ley in this spring would be ideal though especially for the herb content.

 

[steveR]

Why not just get on and drill the grass?

Well, firstly, the herbal ley will (I am told) be better drilled in the late Spring, however, I am checking into this...

Secondly, and more importantly, the Scheme will not be approved for starting until March, sometime.

 

[steveR]

Or put it under the barley. That'd be true no-till in autumn or spring.

"Contract" lads will whinge I suspect... However, the way things are on teh land, it might well end up as fallow this Spring! This may well mean an early cover crop!!!

 

[steveR]

A cheap(ish) mix like Tillage Radish with Berseem or Crimson Clover? This will improve subsurface drainage via the deep root penetration, plus increasing residual soil N levels.

Getting a Herbal ley in this spring would be ideal though especially for the herb content.

Thanks for that. I'm chasing the Grant funding, so has to hang on until next year, as I did not realise the Grant application window had been extended this year! So no expensive ley THIS Spring... cheap is GOOD!!

Will the CC establish in August, grow and stay alive over winter? Can it cope with "wet" ground??

 

[steveR]

I know it affects what chemical control options but if spring barley is going to be planted late due to the weather (April onwards) then an undersown ley (ryegrass & clover) will be worth considering. Yes spring barley yield will be lower but you'll have a ready made grass ley that will withstand a wet autumn far better.

If you are needing a cover crop for EFA reasons then you might need to reconsider but I can't think of a better cover crop than an undersown ley.

Interesting on the undersown option. Although there are issues with the crop and yield with my CFA partner, it might have legs...

Don't need the EFA area, the CC is really to keep the land in better heart than an OWS can do and encourage an earlier drying out the following year than bare land will do.