- Location
- Cornwall
Prilled lime might do the trick. Works quick to do what you need, but doesn’t last long.
Direct/Strip-till drilling photo gallery
- Thread starter strip-till-phil
- Start date
Prilled lime might do the trick. Works quick to do what you need, but doesn’t last long.
How fine is prilled lime,would it go thru a microgranule applicator such as a Turbo Jet etc?
Have used molasses with liquid fert in the past, no proof but seems to help a little. I need a "Bio life" meter of some sort really as some of these inputs are not trialled by impartial organisations.
It’s erm, prill sized designed to go through a fert spinner. Even with a coarse seed feed roller I don’t think you’d have enough room in the hopper. You’d want at least 100 kg/ha. What dose do you use for straw digestion? @Clive
- Location
- Cornwall
Hmm, good question. It’s AN sized prills.
- Location
- Cornwall
I’d venture none of them are!
It’s a case of suck it and see with a lot of them. Molasses is really just a food source for bacteria already there. Some are peddling bacteria to apply to soils, stubbles etc but I am dubious. I’d rather encourage the native, local soil biota, of which there will be many thousands of species, than waste money on one or two strains of bacteria which may or may not survive in your soils.
Every independent soil scientist I’ve spoken to has expressed doubt that they make much difference, and my gut says just adding one or two to a hugely diverse population is just p1ssing in the wind really.
- Location
- Cornwall
Wheat Strip Tilled
Vs wheat plough/power harrow
Sown 5 days apart on the same soil type (only 100 meters between the two fields). Quite a contrast after a miserable winter.
Ploughed field came out of maize but it came off well and in dry conditions. I didn’t think it needed ploughing but the old fella insisted. Lesson learnt!
Vs wheat plough/power harrow
Sown 5 days apart on the same soil type (only 100 meters between the two fields). Quite a contrast after a miserable winter.
Ploughed field came out of maize but it came off well and in dry conditions. I didn’t think it needed ploughing but the old fella insisted. Lesson learnt!
That's a hell of a contrast! What was the strip til drill of choice?
- Location
- Cornwall
Contractors Sumo DTS. Third year of using it here and there has been noticeable differences at each end of the season. In the dryer weather last year the strip tilled crop stayed noticeably greener, noticeably longer than the conventionally established crop and, without the technology to measure yield on the fly, seemed to yield better as a result.
It’s not all roses mind. The barley is really struggling at the moment, though I suspect that’s more down to it going in a bit late and the miserable winter. Looks like some will have to be re-drilled.
Yep, our oats done with that drill are looking super but the barley is disappointing. Headands are the worst and will need redrilling.
I'm sorry but I feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one!
- Location
- Cornwall
Was yours done with Howtons machine?
WW drilled with dts, last picture shows wery well last year tramline and on the left lexion wheelings... Best coutur folowing. The winter was wery wet and anusualy warm, despite this now its start march derby with significant frosts at night time.
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Drilling winter beans into cover crop on Monday. @Simon Chiles said it wasn't too late...soil in lovely condition considering what rain it's had
- Location
- Cornwall
Dug some soil pits on Tuesday. The difference in soil condition between that under the cover crops and the field of winter barley that failed was amazing. The spring oats after the diverse cover crop will be going straight in with the DTS tomorrow. The other field is going to be ploughed, much to my annoyance but, it’s washed in tight as a tick. Great lesson in why it’s good to keep something growing for as much of the year as possible.
Are you ploughing the failed winter barley field? I'm going to try to claydon mine but it's very hard too!
- Location
- Cornwall
Yeah, I think the Sumo would’ve done it ok at an angle to the last pass but, after much standing around looking in holes and head scratching, old man decided to plough. It’s only the top 4-6” that have gone in tight so it’ll be a shallow plough. Best laid plans and all that!
Do you terminate after drilling or before. Just wondering about the twoSimons theory? I drilled peas like that without any fert and think part of paddock was effect by a pythium disease so would be interested to see how you get on.
I finished mine on Monday too.
By yesterday the slots are drying out so quickly they're opening up..
I'm going over with the paddle rolls now to cover them over.
That was into sheep stodged poor covers though.
After, we've been having a lovely spell of spring weather here, so there's plenty of time to do this. Beans take a while to appear anyway (especially with 50% germination rate because of bruchid damage etc), but are pretty resilient on the whole. You're right to worry about the Two Simons though...
I’m rolling some more cloddy seedbeds twice, once with a Carrier with the discs up just using the shouldered press rings. Where we had sheep on turnips all winter the top 2” is a hard crust that doesn’t break up but what’s underneath is in great condition with enough moisture to put the seed in.