warksfarmer
Member
Not much to say really. Where the soil was moved the cover is miles ahead.
Cover crop soil movement vs no movement
- Thread starter warksfarmer
- Start date
Just to be clear is establishment the same/similar just where soil moved much more advanced? Down to mineralisation of N and higher soil temps?
What did you, er, not move the soil with? Weaving/Dale? There are less grasses/volunteers in the undisturbed plot too.
marco
Member
- Location
- tipperary, ireland
Lee, to get your soils up and going I'd be inclined to move a bit of soil the first year for covers and then drill directly into them. Get as much root mass as you can
warksfarmer
Member
What we did was broadcast the mustard on the stubble so absolute zero till.
Then we used the shakerator on the tramlines because they are being moved so this then gave the already broadcast seed some soil contact.
warksfarmer
Member
To be honest we aren't really that bothered about zero tilling. The covers are for BPS greening and we'll only zero till if conditions allow. Just as happy to min till or plough unless the fields have BG which these ones don't.
Any BG fields are now in zero till though.
dug
Member
- Location
- North Island, New Zealand
I'm sorry but I think a bit of a pointless thread..... what did you expect from sprinkling some seed on the surface. Even if it goes well sometimes, it isn't exactly a high percentage method is it.
warksfarmer
Member
Sprinkling as you call it is the 'ultimate' zero till.
Even a disc drill moves soil broadcast doesn't.
The point is that you need soil movement for successful cover crops. Soil movement means weeds do are cover really worth it?
Surely zero soil movement until planting is what will control weeds the best.
solo
Member
- Location
- worcestershire
One of the local farmers bought a fancy stubble scratcher with a seeder ontop to sow cover crops and rolled right behind but looking over the hedge I can't see anything except volunteers. 
Looks like an expensive stubble Harrow to me. I drilled osr with gen coulters on a horsch co drill the same day and these are now just putting out the second pair of true leaves. The difference between the two methods has got to be Soil to seed contact even though there has been ample rain. Oh the osr had a wee bit of N too which has helped once they chitted.
Looks like an expensive stubble Harrow to me. I drilled osr with gen coulters on a horsch co drill the same day and these are now just putting out the second pair of true leaves. The difference between the two methods has got to be Soil to seed contact even though there has been ample rain. Oh the osr had a wee bit of N too which has helped once they chitted.SilliamWhale
Member
One of the local farmers bought a fancy stubble scratcher with a seeder ontop to sow cover crops and rolled right behind but looking over the hedge I can't see anything except volunteers.
What was this stubble scratcher called? (I agree with you by the way)
solo
Member
- Location
- worcestershire
Don't know sorry . Only saw it in the distance. Looked yellow and about 6m if that's any help.
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
if you auto cast the cover then it would have stronger establishment under no till
Still a lot less than 100% which is why no tillers run soil engaging drills.
@warksfarmer was the straw chopped & the seed sprinkled on top? Purely by judging from your photo seed to soil contact hasn't been enough. Depending on dates of broadcasting & subsequent rainfall you'd hardly say that overhead moisture has been a limiting factor.
warksfarmer
Member
Combined, straw removed, broadcast and shakerated all within 48 hrs.
This was just a very last minute optimistic chancer really, so not bothered in the slightest about it failing.
Maybe rolling would have been better, but that in itself moves soil.
intersting ! last year I user our biodrill on the carrier lightly, this year I used 750a. Have to say growth has been very slow with the 750a - think the biodrill is the way forward
300ac we did with the career this time got far more growth,
I was thinking that as it was dry here that less movement would get faster growth than the carrier which looses moisture, seems the N mineralising effect from a light tillage is more powerful than a bit of water however
warksfarmer
Member
So if you've got BG then maybe covers aren't the way forward because you'll be mixing the BG seed in the soil profile to make the covers grow.
I really don't see why anyone thinks cover crops are in anyway helpful to sort a BG problem - never have
Cover crops are all about building organic matter and soil biology and nothing to do with weed control at all
- Location
- Essex/Herts Border
The only view I take for covers helping with BG is that if the cover improves soil organic matter, biology, structure and drainage and so on, especially on heavier land then that is taking the soil away from conditions that BG likes i.e wet and heavy etc and helps the sown cash crop be more competitive due to the improved soil health. Only a theory mind.
Would go along with that but it's a long term project to see improvement
I have spoken to a few farmers over the last 12months who seem to think planting a few black oats will be the last they see of BG on their farm !
If I had a field with a grass weed problem I wouldn't plant a cover crop, it would be bare over winter ahead of Spring crops for a few years