Direct Drill Swedes & Redstart

[Joe]

I still have another 5ac of swedes to DD into sprayed off (twice) grass, and was planning on doing it ready for !onday’s thunderstorms.
Now the forecast has changed, i’ve Decided to leave it in the bag for now, at least until the forecast looks more promising. If it does rain, I will bang it in straight away after obviously. Doesn’t seem much sense in drilling it now, as it might germinate with a heavy dew, then shrivel up.

Patience is a virtue they say........

Ye I agree think I'll hold off and have some roundup left off might give grass another quick run over. As my old man used to say when did load of tillage 'weather always comes', he did say Sunday was reconsidering this after past 6 months....

 

[neilo]

With the forecast now, the rest of my swedes may well be staying in the bag until next year now, with Maincrop turnips going in instead. Or maybe stubble turnips if we’re still waiting for that weather to come by early August.

Mid-June drilled swedes look to be growing surprisingly well, albeit slowly.

 

[Joe]

With the forecast now, the rest of my swedes may well be staying in the bag until next year now, with Maincrop turnips going in instead. Or maybe stubble turnips if we’re still waiting for that weather to come by early August.

Mid-June drilled swedes look to be growing surprisingly well, albeit slowly.

How late would you chance Swedes? I'm thinking this week or bust, might call merchant and drop back swedes for stubble turnips for august and maybe more redstart

 

[neilo]

How late would you chance Swedes? I'm thinking this week or bust, might call merchant and drop back swedes for stubble turnips for august and maybe more redstart

That’s what I thought, this week or next, or leave it sealed in the bag for next year? I’m trying to source some Massif turnips for that 5ac left to DD, but that plan might drop back to stubble turnips if it’s still dry in 3 weeks time.

 

[Joe]

That’s what I thought, this week or next, or leave it sealed in the bag for next year? I’m trying to source some Massif turnips for that 5ac left to DD, but that plan might drop back to stubble turnips if it’s still dry in 3 weeks time.

Not sure what your forecast is but ours is no rain until at least the 13th, which means 8 weeks without a drop of rain. After discussion with advisor yesterday rang merchant to drop back swede seeds and pick up Redstart and stubble turnips. 10 acres getting redstart which gives me an option graze with lambs first if rain comes fert again then close early Sept, and the other is getting a mix Redstart / Stubble turnips which will be sown and closed for winter only feed.

 

[neilo]

Massif maincrop turnip seed ordered, so swedes can stay in the bag for next year. Also ordered some Verte mustard to DD after Winter Barley, to be grazed off before DD'ing Winter barley in again.....if all goes to plan.

 

[hendrebc]

Massif maincrop turnip seed ordered, so swedes can stay in the bag for next year. Also ordered some Verte mustard to DD after Winter Barley, to be grazed off before DD'ing Winter barley in again.....if all goes to plan.

Grazing mustard is a new one for me
Whats it like? Just belly filler for ewea im guessing?

 

[neilo]

Grazing mustard is a new one for me
Whats it like? Just belly filler for ewea im guessing?

I hope not, it’s a new one for me too. Hoping to keep some weaned lambs ticking along at the same time as keeping some life in the soil between crops. Any nutrients scavenged can only help the following crop.

 

[hendrebc]

I hope not, it’s a new one for me too. Hoping to keep some weaned lambs ticking along at the same time as keeping some life in the soil between crops. Any nutrients scavenged can only help the following crop.

Sounds interesting. Please let us know how the lambs fare on it

 

[Kevtherev]

I hope not, it’s a new one for me too. Hoping to keep some weaned lambs ticking along at the same time as keeping some life in the soil between crops. Any nutrients scavenged can only help the following crop.

Your neighbours grazed lambs on it last year by caerhowell bridge [emoji106]

 

[deleted user 837354]

If you are gonna direct drill the stuff, put the slug pellets on a few days after drilling, not with the seed.

The slugs will not be able to find the seed until it begins to germinate (they detect it via smell) and so they will be drawn to the pellets first and stay above the surface away from your seed.

 

[neilo]

If you are gonna direct drill the stuff, put the slug pellets on a few days after drilling, not with the seed.

The slugs will not be able to find the seed until it begins to germinate (they detect it via smell) and so they will be drawn to the pellets first and stay above the surface away from your seed.

+1
That’s always my preferred option, but I do drill an area for a couple of Glastir options that stipulate no slug pellets unless drilled with the seed. On some strips, that were likely to be slug heaven, I did drill the pellets with the seed. The result was a very thin crop and slug damage on those plants that emerged.
Not a great problem on those bits, which were still ‘established’ as is required, but it would have been massively damaging to a commercial crop that was needed to get to harvest.

 

[deleted user 837354]

+1
That’s always my preferred option, but I do drill an area for a couple of Glastir options that stipulate no slug pellets unless drilled with the seed. On some strips, that were likely to be slug heaven, I did drill the pellets with the seed. The result was a very thin crop and slug damage on those plants that emerged.
Not a great problem on those bits, which were still ‘established’ as is required, but it would have been massively damaging to a commercial crop that was needed to get to harvest.

I didn't like the whole idea because as someone else said the seeds and pellets are entirely different shapes and sizes so the drill won't spit them out properly, and you don't want to be drawing them down to the seed either. It takes time for the slugs to reorientate themselves after the drill has passed, and slug pellets only have a finite lifespan, so applying them on day 2 or 3 is probably the best way to get the seed 'protected' at the critical time. They can't detect fresh un-germinated seed because it's inert so they head for the pellets instead.

I'd use ferric now anyway given the regulations surrounding metaldehyde. A good starter dose should be ample.

 

[Joe]

Thought might give an update on this.
After trying DD for the first time in the hardest year I remember for trying to sow forage crops in our place, it has in my opinion been a huge success. While I only got in Redstart and a Redstart/stubble turnip mix and never got any grass or swedes in as originally planned very happy with the outcome. So much so that even my father a retired ploughman by trade is convinced at 85, stating its a system made for a livestock farm.

First pic Redstart went in 2th June field wasn't dry enough until then, got no rain at all until 25th July and no decent rain until last weekend - below was taken 18th August. Lambs on it since 8th August and while way lighter than other years happy enough with it they're just finishing first rotation on last block. Not sure what would have happened if had tilled and sown that day, grass that was tilled went in day before only struck 18th August and bit of a mess with weeds.
Second pic is a field of Redstart/Stubble turnips went in 24th July day before rain was forecast, below was taken 18th of August. This field has really jumped out of it last week since some extra moisture came into the ground, really happy to have two fields of this now for either finishing lambs or running ewes on considering year that's in it.

Have winter now to consider next steps and let pain of 2018 disappear a little, big thanks to @Tractor tom7480 for use of the drill as well