DD’ing spring beans in to a thick cover crop?

Hjwise

Member
Mixed Farmer
I have a cover crop of oats, vetch and bit of radish and mustard. It’s knee high and a lot thicker than I was expecting (even using about 50% of the advised seed rate). General plan was to spray off about now then drill spring beans with a Rapid when conditions allow (probably late March as it’s fairly heavy land). My Neighbour has just bought an Avatar - how would this drill cope drilling direct in to the cover if I spray it off just before drilling? Thanks
 
I use a weaving gd and before that a big disc on strong land
bestyields depends on the year and field
drilled from end of March to end of April
16 April drilling the best yield
the soil needs to be dry enough at drilling too early/too wet always gives poor results
later drilled needs a lot less herbicide and fungicide but may benefit from higher seed rate

I usually put 60 seeds per m at least for spring seed rate
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
I use a weaving gd and before that a big disc on strong land
bestyields depends on the year and field
drilled from end of March to end of April
16 April drilling the best yield
the soil needs to be dry enough at drilling too early/too wet always gives poor results
later drilled needs a lot less herbicide and fungicide but may benefit from higher seed rate

I usually put 60 seeds per m at least for spring seed rate
I have never ever seen a crop of spring beans yield anything drilled in April, let alone zero tilled. I haven’t tried to zero till spring beans for a while now but when we were they were doing 3t/ha less than a fairly shallow cultivation. Maybe now the soil has been in DD for longer they will be better and worth another try.
 

Tractor Boy

Member
Location
Suffolk
I have never ever seen a crop of spring beans yield anything drilled in April, let alone zero tilled. I haven’t tried to zero till spring beans for a while now but when we were they were doing 3t/ha less than a fairly shallow cultivation. Maybe now the soil has been in DD for longer they will be better and worth another try.
Depends what you regard as a worthwhile yield. For the last five years I’ve put beans in in April with a 750a direct. 2016 was actually May 1st and they did 4t/ha. 2020 and 2021 were actually Wizard winter beans that never went in in autumn. 2020 did 3t/ha and 2021 did 3.9. I agree, no spectacular 5-6t yields, but the only inputs were falcon herbicide and a splash of tebuconazole.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Depends what you regard as a worthwhile yield. For the last five years I’ve put beans in in April with a 750a direct. 2016 was actually May 1st and they did 4t/ha. 2020 and 2021 were actually Wizard winter beans that never went in in autumn. 2020 did 3t/ha and 2021 did 3.9. I agree, no spectacular 5-6t yields, but the only inputs were falcon herbicide and a splash of tebuconazole.
Our attempt at dd spring beans were about 2t/ha vs 5t/ha.
Winter beans fine.
 

Hjwise

Member
Mixed Farmer
Why spray it off 🤔 eat it off then sow Beans , and pre em with some round up in
will that way work as ,that is what we intend .
I was tempted to try some sheep, but given it’s heavy land and now very wet I can’t see it being a very hospitable place for a direct sown seed to grow after being trampled down.
 

Hjwise

Member
Mixed Farmer
Only grown them for two years, so no expert. First year looked rubbish and did 5, second year looked really good but still only did 5.
CEFF4BEC-1A79-4DB2-BF66-6361A8D0C659.jpeg

This is the cover crop this morning.
 

alomy75

Member
I pushed mine a little this year; drilled 27 March and it was still a bit soft. Depending on how big my part load is they’ve done just under 5.5t/ha drilled into wheat stubble. Some were dd some had a light cultivation. Dd were just as good looking/podding. Light cultivation made the other fields very weedy. Was a good year for spring beans round here though this year. Will be LD subsoiling the WW stubble in the backend and drilling straight into that this coming season. I’d go direct but I don’t want to subsoil before the dd wheat after the beans; I feel on my land it benefits from being lifted somewhere in the rotation.
 

Samcowman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
Have done it for the last 2 years with a majority mustard cover crop with oats. Most of the mustard had been killed off by the frost had a dose of round up January to kill the rest. Drilled with an avatar. did 2.2t/acre and then 2.3. Drilled as soon as Was sensible but had a couple of aborted attempts this year as was still too wet.
 
I have never ever seen a crop of spring beans yield anything drilled in April, let alone zero tilled. I haven’t tried to zero till spring beans for a while now but when we were they were doing 3t/ha less than a fairly shallow cultivation. Maybe now the soil has been in DD for longer they will be better and worth another try.
Much drier area where you are


soil conditions are most important not drilling date if it is dry enough warm enough and free draining the only issue is weed burden


also with beans the first crop of beans on land that has not had beans for 20 or 30 years or more is always better than 3 or 5 or 10 years

I have had first beans in 50 years on a field drilled 12 April do 5 tonnes 2013 no fungicide very few weeds weather played ball all the way to harvest
but beans can be very low yielding if soil conditions and weather are wrong
somtimes fields next to each other and same soil type can be so opposite
 

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