Direct/Strip-till drilling photo gallery

[Richard III]

Companions rape and phacelia. And the odd vetch. Most companions killed by frost, buckwheat, sunflower etc. Nice cheap crop to grow, no insecticides or fungicides. However it doesn't all look as good as this

I did the same trick last year, got a companion crop of phacelia in this years wheat crop too.

 

[Old John]

Some pics from today. Flowering nearly over and some winter wheat after beans. Both dd with Weaving GD.

 

[Old John]

An developing ear. More wheat after oil seed rape dd with Weaving GD.

 

[Old John]

Spring barley after sugar beet , planted December with Weaving GD. Yes it has got the flag leaf out.

 

[Old John]

Spring beans dd with Weaving GD late February

 

[E_B]

Well, had a go at some maize, time will tell. Nice and visible for all to see should it fail!

 

[Clive]

Few pics from a quick look around today

Trinity wheat, only had 1L ctl so far and very clean

Spring oats - fss and 50% of the N so far only

Spring barley -had some seedbed N and ad digestate so far

Winter Rye variety trial plots (to be combined) - No fungicide so far

 

[Feldspar]

Skyfall zero-till 2nd wheat. Some bits are OK, some have pulled together in surprising way, but overall they are still too thin IMO.

 

[Feldspar]

Spring beans dd with Weaving GD late February

They all look good. Are there any crops that you aren't happy with? Do I spy a rain gun in one picture? Have you irrigated much?

 

[Louis Mc]

Skyfall zero-till 2nd wheat. Some bits are OK, some have pulled together in surprising way, but overall they are still too thin IMO.

Thin wheat usually yields well

 

[Old John]

They all look good. Are there any crops that you aren't happy with? Do I spy a rain gun in one picture? Have you irrigated much?

I'm happy with just about everything. Obviously, not everything dd, as we have potatoes and sugar beet in the rotation on half the land, which is sandy, but we've not used a plough in ten years or more on sand ( we use a Weaving sub disc) and since 1999 on clay soils.
We have a lot of sheep on stubble turnips prior to root crops which do a power of good.
Yes, you do spy a rain gun, we irrigate cereals routinely on lighter land and this year we have given the heavy land about 30mm, to set them up.
Potatoes will start calling for water soon. The winter cereals will be past needing water but spring barley will get more if and when between potatoes , then sugar beet later. Irrigation is our biggest job really. Much easier now though, pumps all automatic, irrigators moved during day and put on timers. I used to do seventeen hour days years ago, moving irrigators twice a day or more. Used to enjoy the challenge though. Getting the most hours of use out of everything, but you could guarantee things would go wrong on Saturday night when you wanted to go out.

 

[Brisel]

Vertigo spring beans sown by Claydon sown 3" deep 12th April.

There's a bit of scorch from bentazone applied 5 days ago to hit a flush of fat hen.

 

[TelesnaAg]

Vertigo spring beans sown by Claydon sown 3" deep 12th April.

There's a bit of scorch from bentazone applied 5 days ago to hit a flush of fat hen.

They are puncing along for 5 weeks growth...spacings?... any fert?

Ant...

 

[Brisel]

13 inch row spacing. 55 seeds/m2, varying with soil type. No nitrogen allowed here but kieserite for sulphur and magnesium, plus a biennial dose of P and K last September. Pre emergence Nirvana and Centium which hasn't performed well in the dry weather. Bentazone last weekend for broad leafed weeds, so a big herbicide bill so far.

 

[Badshot]

Vertigo spring beans sown by Claydon sown 3" deep 12th April.

There's a bit of scorch from bentazone applied 5 days ago to hit a flush of fat hen.

I've never had any luck with bentazone and fat hen.

 

[Brisel]

I've never had any luck with bentazone and fat hen.

The weed only had 2 true leaves. What else is there in spring beans that does fat hen? It had Nirvana (PDM + imazamox) + clomazone pre em which didn't work in the dry weather.

Is weed harrowing going to make comeback??

 

[Badshot]

The weed only had 2 true leaves. What else is there in spring beans that does fat hen? It had Nirvana (PDM + imazamox) + clomazone pre em which didn't work in the dry weather.

Is weed harrowing going to make comeback??

Nothing seems to touch it. The aussies have something that does, seem to remember @TelesnaAg mentioning a chemical before. Course it's not legal here at all.

 

[Brisel]

The triazines used to do a good job. Cyanazine, simazine... all gone now.

 

[Richard III]

Best and cheapest weed control in spring beans in my experience is:- Cover Crop, Low Disturbance Drill + Glyphosate. Only thing I've found it struggles with is Rosebay Willowherb.

 

[H.Jackson]

Found the same here, of course a dose of fym after drilling the cover and sheep poop from grazing them doesn't do beans any harm either.