Simon Chiles
DD Moderator
- Location
- Surrey/ Kent Border, UK
Tried the 2 weeks later in the spring last year and it was a total disaster
A heavy set of ring rolls are the answer. Rolling the ground before you drill as well as after is key if it it’s really dry. If you’ve got heavy land that’s drying fast in the spring a pre drill roll is important when the land is starting to get small surface cracks. It’ll crumble the surface enough ( without going deep enough to disturb any dormant black grass) and stop the cracks getting bigger, thereby retaining the moisture. If you don’t you run the risk of producing slots with a disc drill that will open up and dry the land faster than the crop can grow. The alternatives of either running a tine drill or ploughing dry the soil out so much that ( if it stays dry ) failure is pretty much guaranteed