Derelict field restoration

[Needtolearnalot]

We have about 4 acres which we started the process of restoring last autumn .... things have not gone as planned - Help!

The history .... about 3-4 years ago someone else managed the land and reared pheasants on it. The huts were removed and the ground left.
The area covered by the huts and pheasant runs grew weeds - mostly nettle and dock. The remaining area had weedy grass with buttercup and creeping thistle.
Soil tests showed a Ph = 6 , Pand K indexes 1 and Mg 3

The field was ploughed last autumn and left over winter (it wasn't sprayed at all)
Earlier this year (late April) glyphosate was sprayed over nettle and dock areas.
It has been disced and power-harrowed ... but for a number of reasons it was left for 2-3 weeks during which we have had a mssive growth of grass, nettle, buttercup etc.

We have stubble/maincrop turnip mix we were intending to sow for autumn/winter sheep forage and follow on with sowing a grass/clover ley in spring 2023.

What is the best action now?

 

[davidroberts30]

I would go with Maincrop until 2cd week of July myself

i was always told get turnips in by the longest day

 

[Needtolearnalot]

Same issues here with a very dirty patch of ground. Weeded up on me three times now and I'm sick of it so will be spraying out what has come up, grubbing with the discs and then giving it 3/4 week to come up again, spray again disc and see what it's like then.
It's really beating me this piece of ground but I knew it was dirty when I first tried it. Good luck, keep us updated

Glad I am not alone!

 

[neilo]

i was always told get turnips in by the longest day

I was always told swedes needed to be on by the longest day, and our Northern cousins seem to find it difficult to distinguish between swedes (neeps) and turnips (neeps) perhaps?

 

[neilo]

Glad I am not alone!

Definitely not alone. I have a 5ac patch that looks similar. It was in maincrop turnips last year and destined to be the same again. I topped the mass of spear thistles that were bolting to flower a month ago, and they've come back every bit as strong, along with a carpet of weed grasses, buttercups and dock patches. It had full rate glypho last weekend, and will disc it a few times once it's worked it's way down.
Plan is to drill the turnips in early July.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

Definitely not alone. I have a 5ac patch that looks similar. It was in maincrop turnips last year and destined to be the same again. I topped the mass of spear thistles that were bolting to flower a month ago, and they've come back every bit as strong, along with a carpet of weed grasses, buttercups and dock patches. It had full rate glypho last weekend, and will disc it a few times once it's worked it's way down.
Plan is to drill the turnips in early July.

How long do you leave your Glypho Mr?

 

[neilo]

How long do you leave your Glypho Mr?

I’ll run a bunch of sheep in after 5 days normally, but that field will probably just get disced after 10 days or so, then disced again after another chit.
Dry hoggs are grazing another 10ac of sprayed of couch currently.

 

[ShooTa]

dont forget to think about fulvic acid to use Glyphos at a much reduced rate... useful as price keeps going up.

 

[neilo]

dont forget to think about fulvic acid to use Glyphos at a much reduced rate... useful as price keeps going up.

I’ve started using Humic & Fulvic acid with full rate glypho, to make it more effective rather than cheapen it. For £4/ha, it doesn’t need to improve it much.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Additives to water condiion/ help wetting /absorption yes by all means but its False economy (and bad practice to use Glyphosate " at a much reduced rates" for tough big root system plants if you actually want to kill stuff dead rather than let it crawl away with an injury ,

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Same issues here with a very dirty patch of ground. Weeded up on me three times now and I'm sick of it so will be spraying out what has come up, grubbing with the discs and then giving it 3/4 week to come up again, spray again disc and see what it's like then.
It's really beating me this piece of ground but I knew it was dirty when I first tried it. Good luck, keep us updated

Weedy bits I put Italian Ryegrass on then deal with the weeds as they come ,

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

Weedy bits I put Italian Ryegrass on then deal with the weeds as they come ,

Unfortunately not so simple with this, every time the soil is so much as disturbed it comes riddled with redshank and docks buttercups and all manor of everything you don't want. It's the dirtiest field on the farm yet all that separates that and one of the most productive grazing pastures on the farm is a fence..... a bloody fence Same soil, same management same techniques just a sh!t hole

 

[Courier]

Same issues here with a very dirty patch of ground. Weeded up on me three times now and I'm sick of it so will be spraying out what has come up, grubbing with the discs and then giving it 3/4 week to come up again, spray again disc and see what it's like then.
It's really beating me this piece of ground but I knew it was dirty when I first tried it. Good luck, keep us updated

Stick at it with the repeated 14 day cultivations but if possible use some deep tines which bring the roots to the surface where they can be gathered and burned rather than chopping them up and potentially creating more growing points.
Roundup first came out in the ‘70s and cost £15 per acre when good wages were £60 per week - if it was that good there should be no couch grass left, but there is ….It gives a level of control but no more.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

Stick at it with the repeated 14 day cultivations but if possible use some deep tines which bring the roots to the surface where they can be gathered and burned rather than chopping them up and potentially creating more growing points.
Roundup first came out in the ‘70s and cost £15 per acre when good wages were £60 per week - if it was that good there should be no couch grass left, but there is ….It gives a level of control but no more.

I can get a very good 4 leg subsoiler into the ground if you think that is going to help? In between disking's would you say? Yes I'm beginning to fell glyhpo aint what it used to be as such (do I sound old yet?)

 

[Kevtherev]

I can get a very good 4 leg subsoiler into the ground if you think that is going to help? In between disking's would you say? Yes I'm beginning to fell glyhpo aint what it used to be as such (do I sound old yet?)

Big subsoilers keep us drainage contractors in work

 

[neilo]

I can get a very good 4 leg subsoiler into the ground if you think that is going to help? In between disking's would you say? Yes I'm beginning to fell glyhpo aint what it used to be as such (do I sound old yet?)

It ‘ain’t what it used to be’ because the adjuvants were taken out, and few have chosen to add similar back in in their place. Coupled to that, plenty of us reduce rates significantly compared to what was used when it first came out. these days I regularly use 2L/ha (+ conditioner) on everything other than established pp & blw.
The glyphosate product itself is likely as effective as it ever was. The formulations and users, perhaps less so?

 

[Needtolearnalot]

It ‘ain’t what it used to be’ because the adjuvants were taken out, and few have chosen to add similar back in in their place. Coupled to that, plenty of us reduce rates significantly compared to what was used when it first came out. these days I regularly use 2L/ha (+ conditioner) on everything other than established pp & blw.
The glyphosate product itself is likely as effective as it ever was. The formulations and users, perhaps less so?

PP & blw - please translate .... remember Needtolearnalot!

 

[neilo]

PP & blw - please translate .... remember Needtolearnalot!

Sorry. Permanent Pasture and Broad Leaved Weeds (docks, buttercups, etc)

 

[Kevtherev]

BLW
Big long wellies

 

[Anymulewilldo]

BLW
Big long wellies

Well he is over the border…

 

[glasshouse]

Blonde Leggy Wenches