Delaying autumn drilling problems

[Warnesworth]

What other ways is blackgrass dealt with other than delayed drilling? As far as I know the best options are delayed drilling in the Autumn and in severe cases spring drilling which I am doing.

Mulching, shading, cover cropping, diverse rotation, no-till, correct application of herbicides, spring cropping, crop competition, calcium & magnesium levels in the soil, minimal disturbance at drilling, good soil structure, reduce compaction - not via tillage but by careful and considerate tillage and drilling, etc etc. Then put them all together to make a coherent strategy.

My point with delayed drilling is that, 1, the crop will be slower to emerge and establish. Establishment %age will be lower so unless seed rate is up, then the crop competition will be reduced especially if drilled into cold wet soils. 2, you are more likely to do more soil damage with later drilling as the soil is more likely to be plastic and easily compressible which favours blackgrass. 3, I have seen enough late drilled crops in the last 12 months to know that late drilling doesn't work (for very long) all we are doing is selecting the blackgrass that will germinate later.

 

[Warnesworth]

In my very honest opinion, the rule about earlier drilling in the autumn, and later in the spring, in a Zero Til situation, may stand true with respect to soil temps and mineralisation, but is simply a recipie for grass weed disaster. Particularly in a BG situation. What are the other methods? I ask for no other reason but I am genuinely interested, as I’d love to drill earlier! (Although have yet to see any yield advantage in doing so.....it would just be nice not to have to chew my nails so much!)

see my post above.

 

[Timbo1080]

Mulching, shading, cover cropping, diverse rotation, no-till, correct application of herbicides, spring cropping, crop competition, calcium & magnesium levels in the soil, minimal disturbance at drilling, good soil structure, reduce compaction - not via tillage but by careful and considerate tillage and drilling, etc etc. Then put them all together to make a coherent strategy.

My point with delayed drilling is that, 1, the crop will be slower to emerge and establish. Establishment %age will be lower so unless seed rate is up, then the crop competition will be reduced especially if drilled into cold wet soils. 2, you are more likely to do more soil damage with later drilling as the soil is more likely to be plastic and easily compressible which favours blackgrass. 3, I have seen enough late drilled crops in the last 12 months to know that late drilling doesn't work (for very long) all we are doing is selecting the blackgrass that will germinate later.

I’d agree. All the above are givens. Attention to detail is essential. Been drilling “late” (after the main flush of BG, or after another where possible), 10th October onwards, since the 60’s. In the wet west, on high clay, high mag content soils. Good drainage system. Not had a problem that I’d put down to delayed drilling. Certainly had problems associated with bad management decisions. We have, however, tried to manage our OM levels pretty scrupulously. Haven’t really done any cultivation since the 70’s.