After this springs exercise with spring barley that was spun on (undressed hss seed ) . We were getting late last week of March so spun on the seed and a very light cultivate in with a wilrich cultivator and rolled in and it had a pre em . If we had waited any longer it would of been mid April to get it in here and others around here with that drilling date seem to around a ton an acre down . So going to try ww the same hhs undressed to see . I like dd but also think the broadcast way has a few pluses ie plants have more room from being randomly spread . Dog and stick farming aint as bad as some think should do the 32 ha in a afternoon . Sb this year has done really well so hopefully the ww will do ok .
Do we need a drill
- Thread starter tw15
- Start date
- Location
- Scotland
Im sure its untreated seed you are broadcasting on.
shock horror ,trendy new seed sowing system 
pre em damage can happen on drilled stuff so no odds ether
pre em damage can happen on drilled stuff so no odds ether
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
If you managed to cultivate x2 and roll.in March, why didn't you just drill it??
It was after stubble turnips just broadcast on then one cultivate and roll . The wolly locusts were still on most of it in early March .
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some seed on top attracts the birds a bit more than drilling is one downside.
Haven't used dressing on cereals for 2 years now just clean and hss no insecticides used either on ww .Spring barley is out the ground and away quick as its not long to a cheap t1 fungicide spray cant tell the difference over the years with treated seed and un treated . Also used old school fungicide program on it as not totally sold on the new stuff that they like to push with the fear sales pitch if you don't use this it won't yield tactics . I will put the chem spend up on here as just asked agronomist for the full figures last week .
no need to be quite so clean as for drill use either .
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
Sorry. Just assumed you broadcasted because was too wet for drill
cue long discussion on whats the best tool for seed coverage....
Suffolk Serf
Member
- Location
- Bury/Thetford
The reason that Jethro Tull invented the seed drill was to put the plants in rows to enable hoeing for weed control.
- Location
- Ceredigion
The reason i bought a big fancy drill for £300 from Cambridge was that I was spending fortune on shotgun cartridges and the rooks where still taking half the seed
- Location
- Ardrossan Ayrshire
Seed wants to grow, it will try bloody hard to grow on concrete in the right conditions. Problem is you don't always drill cereals in the right conditions for instant germination and if broadcast the seed could be hanging about for a while like a wildlife buffet. So basically I think if it's cold and likely to remain so for a week or so drilling would be best, if its likely to germinate quickly then broadcasting would be better. Nature rarely buries its seed in rows..........
yorkie
Member
- Location
- pe34 norfolk,but not born there
when it used to get wet , put wheat and barley in , plough , power harrow with roller of seed on with Fert spreader and power harrow again , best thing to cover seed and roll in spring
remember what the highest yield came from in the 2013 TFF drill trial ? ,…………..