DD swedes & Fodder crops

[ploughman1963]

Having had a running battle myself I’d almost bet it’s a combination of slugs and flea beetle. If you haven’t put fert on it would struggle to get away from the pests anyway

 

[Bury the Trash]

ive never seen flea beetle attack grass seed before,or clover for that matter, they
they most damage mono crops of brassica as well,ie chuck a bit stubble turnip in with yer grass seed mix and they wont be an issue to the point of killing it.

Got to remember always that seeds that are sown and consequently cotyledons / seedlings are very, very ,very vulnerable,they dont have mum to look after them for awhile like animals do

Fudgin rabbits are our biggest prob.


I noted last year that Redstart coped with and grew away from fred beetle better than stublle turnip frisia and staright rape next to it, canrt remmebr the rapes name but i think some other disease weakened that as well. so f beetle came in and kicked it harder, always soemthin

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I see a lot of drilled ground like that , don't know if it's poor seed to soil contact or what , I've not had an issue myself, but to honest I would have run the rotospike over that or a pass witha Tine Harrow on full pressure to bring up some soil , to much dead turf for a disc drill, and defo role it, if it'd showing in the gateway where there is soil its almost defo poor soil contact

 

[Kevtherev]

To be fair we have had good growing weather although it was dry when it was drilled. I didn't roll it because I didn't think that it would make a difference being quite hard. Soil isn't clay type. If you look close you can see some of the rape has been eaten down. It just surprised me that the whole field has been affected. Reading @nielo's post has got me thinking that there could be something lurking.

Combination of dry weather slugs flea beetle and maybe leather jackets ?
Take a spade and have a dig in the slots you might find some beasties there.

 

[Kevtherev]

Slugs do seem to love clovers especially

 

[ploughman1963]

ive never seen flea beetle attack grass seed before,or clover for that matter, they
they most damage mono crops of brassica as well,ie chuck a bit stubble turnip in with yer grass seed mix and they wont be an issue to the point of killing it.

Got to remember always that seeds that are sown and consequently cotyledons / seedlings are very, very ,very vulnerable,they dont have mum to look after them for awhile like animals do

Fudgin rabbits are our biggest prob.


I noted last year that Redstart coped with and grew away from fred beetle better than stublle turnip frisia and staright rape next to it, canrt remmebr the rapes name but i think some other disease weakened that as well. so f beetle came in and kicked it harder, always soemthin

Sorry, I must have misread/misunderstood- I thought it was brassica content you were referring to. Slugs will decimate grass though

 

[Bury the Trash]

Slugs do seem to love clovers especially

would be half the battle if rabbits ate slugs