Early Nitrogen for tillering

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Quite so, Brisel.

But if the wind gets back into the west next week and it decides to rain every day until Easter, what then?


Then it will still be too cold for growth and what you’ve applied will leach and/or run off in the next few weeks. I take your point about making the most of opportunities. Here, as long as the DD land travels well, which most bar the steepest and the clay will, we can go with liquid fert in less than ideal conditions.

If I had 10,000 acres to do twice before 15th March with a small box spreader and long distances on bottomless land, I’d be keener to start early even if it wasn’t warm enough.
 

Banana Bar

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Bury St Edmunds
I agree. -2 frost last night and less than 6 oC today. There's no growth to feed IMO.

I don’t disagree but this year more than any other I want nutrition on the floor as soon as the crop starts to grow. So many times I’ve heard others preach that I go to early and then miss the opportunity when it does arrive themselves! Biomass is essential this year.
 

robbie

Member
BASIS
I'm planning to go around about valentines day, give or take depending on whether and the forecast after. Itll be urea so wont go far in the soil and will only get converted as the soil warms up and at the same time if the soils warming to convert the N then the plant will start growing to make use of it.

Every year I go early and build big biomass which I consider essential on lightland and this year it's going to be more important than ever although crops seem to have perked up this last few weeks.
It seems silly at the moment but id rather get a decent slug of N into the crop when theres moisture rather than waiting for some rain which never seems to come when you need it later in the season.
 

SRRC

Member
Location
West Somerset
As soon as it is dry enough to travel have another look. If still thin would consider a dab of N. Rolling later would help a lot. As the soil warms I guess a lot of N from your digestate will be released so go steady with big dollops of N.

BWS and PGR when crop is recovered and weather is warmer.
Just be wary rolling in the spring, it can have the effect of stimulating weed (especially grass weeds) germination and as you have now broken the chemical "seal".................
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
"Traditionally" if we had a couple of good hard frosty days end Jan/early Feb, I'd slip 30 units of N onto the heavy clays that might not travel again until April. Gut instinct was that 3 out of 4 years, it was a good call to have some fert waiting...


I then started using a mate with a Fraser Agribuggy for 3 years until he killed it, I then started using a big Quad and Logic tool carrier with a 12m Vicon on board. All revolving around minimal compaction.... So different watching the contracting lads now!
 

AndrewM

Member
BASIS
Location
Devon
not impartial advice from yara, but i generally agree with it.
https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-m...irst-step-in-rescuing-waterlogged-wheat-crops

"
The current anaerobic soil conditions means any N will have been depleted, forcing plants to start taking N from older leaves for new growth, so crops will look poor.

Therefore, Mr Tucker says there is a need to go on with fertiliser in the next two to three weeks, if conditions allow tractors to travel and drains aren’t running.

This early N will help increase the size of leaves, as well as feed root development and maximise tiller numbers. The aim is to boost the number of ears/sq m.

Mr Tucker suggests two options. The first is to go with 30kg/ha and, if the crop is viable, follow up with another 30kg/ha two to three weeks later.

“If farmers don’t think they will have time for the follow-up application, the second option is to apply 60kg/ha.” But Mr Tucker adds that there will be a higher environmental risk of N losses when there are higher levels of soil water.

“Patience and a little-but-often approach may be key this season,” he says. "


if you have steep sloping land with high run off potential you might be better to wait.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I’ll be going on Winter Barley with flotations before long, but only to spray it off with glyphosate to start again. Nothing spent other than seed and DD cost so far, and profit is marginal enough in a good crop of WB, let alone a patchy, half drowned one.

If there was a half decent crop there, I’d be inclined to tickle a bit of N on in the frost now, as it may not travel again until April.
 

Renaultman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Darlington
I’ll be going on Winter Barley with flotations before long, but only to spray it off with glyphosate to start again. Nothing spent other than seed and DD cost so far, and profit is marginal enough in a good crop of WB, let alone a patchy, half drowned one.

If there was a half decent crop there, I’d be inclined to tickle a bit of N on in the frost now, as it may not travel again until April.
My Winter Barley is looking remarkably green now although it has looked pretty poor for a lot of the winter. In fact all of the September drilled stuff looks well, apart from the rape which is today getting 120l of liquid to try to power it away from the pigeons
 

Renaultman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Darlington
Can I go yet? ?
IMG_20200122_131438130.jpg
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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