Early N

[Feldspar]

A few worthwhile pointers there. Small doses for a start. Tillers don't equal yield. Despite a few awful days this week walking osr was a pleasure today, with the first signs of growth appearing after the cold snap. February can be a long month waiting for something to happen!

Agree. A lovely day to be out. Feels like there haven't been all that many recently. Surely tillers do equal yield to an extent -- that is, below a certain amount reducing tiller numbers reduce yield, whereas above that they don't.

 

[Renaultman]

Agree. A lovely day to be out. Feels like there haven't been all that many recently. Surely tillers do equal yield to an extent -- that is, below a certain amount reducing tiller numbers reduce yield, whereas above that they don't.

Windy, wet, snowy yuck here, could easily have travelled yesterday morning, but not after. Rivers are full to busting too.

 

[straightandnarrow]

I would say tiller survival coming out of spring is vital if we are to get a drought period through April/May as last year. If you can get on with legitimate early N , crack on!

 

[robbie]

I'm going so start next week with urea on rape, barley then wheat, I would have gone this week but apart from yesterday the weather's been shite.

As said above for me tiller survival coming out of spring is very important. I've been caught out with a late start to N in the past and it's not good.
By mid Feb on my land all the residual N has gone and crops seem to go from healthy to sick nearly overnight couple that with a drought in April which inevitably causes tiller loss and you've got a thin poor yielding crop.

Personally I find a crop with high biomass that's taken up lots of N early the best way to get good yields on lightland.

 

[franklin]

Personally I find a crop with high biomass that's taken up lots of N early the best way to get good yields on lightland.

Same on heavy. By the time the soil has warmed up enough you need the urea on. But here it is less about tiller survival than feeding what are often quite damp roots - if they dont get some early nutrient then they are sad.

 

[Renaultman]

Same on heavy. By the time the soil has warmed up enough you need the urea on. But here it is less about tiller survival than feeding what are often quite damp roots - if they dont get some early nutrient then they are sad.

Happy roots are productive roots

 

[franklin]

As my favourite band ever, Sepultura, sang "Roots, bloody roots."

 

[Renaultman]

As my favourite band ever, Sepultura, sang "Roots, bloody roots."

Faithless had 'no roots' That can't be good.

 

[Brisel]

They had insomnia too

 

[4course]

A few worthwhile pointers there. Small doses for a start. Tillers don't equal yield. Despite a few awful days this week walking osr was a pleasure today, with the first signs of growth appearing after the cold snap. February can be a long month waiting for something to happen!

small doses with the earliest as soon as daff heads get above/level with the leaves, esp urea and this timing is now here.A bit later than last year and its noticeable how short they are which tells me soil temps are lowish but daylight is forcing them along . Feb is certainly a long month waiting to go on an alpine study tour first week of march and it will be pressure this next 10 days to get round the lot before then although 10% has been done, the rest wont travel without making ruts we will be taking every opportunity as being late is definitely worse than being early ,im thinking cold soil wet ground no sun is not conducive to tillering or survival

 

[Turra farmer]

Just been and read the NVZ rules ,,,,,, you will be all glad to know no NVZ rules have been broken ,,,,,
Date ,,,,,, check
Frost,,,,,,,, not frozen for more than 12 hrs in previous 24 hrs ,,,,,,, check
Standing water ,,,,,,, no standing water except 1 small puddle in gateway ,,,,,, check
Slope of field ,,,,,,, field is near on level and no where near the 15% that is a point at which other questions are asked ,,,,, check
Records ,,,,,, not in the book yet but will be in by 8am

So the same for slurry ? Can spread on frost if less than 12 hours of freezing ?

 

[Mr Charisma]

So the same for slurry ? Can spread on frost if less than 12 hours of freezing ?

Best check your NVZ book , goalposts keep on moving and depends where you are in UK ,,, but I think there is a limit to how much you can spread / ha in the first month after the closed period finishes , slope of field comes into it as well as watercourses and frozen ground / snow

There is also different guidelines for fert out of the bag / liquid and your organic manure ( slurry / fym)

 

[Brisel]

Best check your NVZ book , goalposts keep on moving and depends where you are in UK ,,, but I think there is a limit to how much you can spread / ha in the first month after the closed period finishes , slope of field comes into it as well as watercourses and frozen ground / snow

There is also different guidelines for fert out of the bag / liquid and your organic manure ( slurry / fym)

Sound advice

Know your rules so you've got a defence & won't incriminate yourself in a public forum.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-nitrogen-fertilisers-in-nitrate-vulnerable-zones

 

[bankrupt]

Sound advice

Know your rules so you've got a defence & won't incriminate yourself in a public forum.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-nitrogen-fertilisers-in-nitrate-vulnerable-zones

A very good point, Brisel.

Given the complexity of all the agricultural regulations we have to date, not to mention the VOSA, HMRC and NE, the only safe solution now would seem to be entirely to cease posting.

 

[Brisel]

Ignorance is not a defence - better to know your subject

 

[bankrupt]

Ignorance is not a defence - better to know your subject

Quite so, Brisel.

In the last 60 years of trading I've managed to grasp a bit of the subject, and putting urea on WB in February was always OK in my book.

Not posting here at all in future will save me any further embarrassment.

 

[Brisel]

Don't be like that - you know your ground better than anyone else in here with a keyboard & if it works for you, carry on. I have luxury of lighter ground and reasonable capacity to crack on once the conditions are right without recreating the Battle of the Somme in the tramlines, so will be waiting a little longer yet.

 

[Audlem Agron]

Next door were on 2 weeks ago, bit of a mess and looking at the long range forecast I can't see any growth occurring for a while, looks to potentially come in very cold from next weekend onwards. I do wonder if we are our own worst enemies, whacking fert on with waterlogged fields (certainly are here) and a rain event and it mostly runs off into the drains.

Sadly that was job list ticking not focusing on the desired outcome - a barn full of stuff the merchant WANTS to buy. Fert on inactive plants on waterlogged soil is fert (mostly) wasted.

 

[yellow belly]

Quite so, Brisel.

In the last 60 years of trading I've managed to grasp a bit of the subject, and putting urea on WB in February was always OK in my book.

Not posting here at all in future will save me any further embarrassment.

better to post ideas on here and get friendly advice about what may be allowed than get caught doing something wrong through ignorance

the powers that be would still need hard evidence of a mistimeanor rather than a ff post

 

[DRC]

Daffodils are no where near out here.
The UK climate is so diverse that what suits one are or farm, will be totally different elsewhere. It’s so wet here that I couldn’t travel if I wanted to , even on our light ground