Now had 4 harvests since I started direct drilling (Simtech) cereal crops in a rotation which also includes OSR, Fodder Beet and Grass Leys. For the last 2 seasons I have become comfortable enough with the DD to leave the plough in the corner for the shed for everything except the beet.
The rotation has now come round to putting the beet in one of the year 1 direct drilled fields, and I am loathed to resort to undoing soil improvements which may have accumulated over this time with the plough. Soil here is a reasonable medium loam, some slighly heavier patches within fields. The beet usually has a application of FYM prior to cultivation.
Any suggestions on how I establish my beet without plough followed by power harrow.
The beet is harvested, so really needs to be precision seeded- I have an elderly, but trusty 7 row Webb drill.
I expect stip tillage of some sort will be needed- the simtech coulters are good on the end of a spring tine, but I dont think inverted T slots below a Webb drill will produce enough tilth!
I am in Fife, so not really any suitable strip tillage cultivators in use around here to hire. Only growing 10ac, so budget has to be justifiable.
My original thought was that a machine with tine to provide some loosening at depth, followed by a wavy disc (Vaderstad Crosscutter or similar) to mix trash, incorporate the FYM and provide tilth down each row would be what was required.
There was suggetsion in an earlier post of modifying a rotavator to only cultivate the required strips, so maybe this would be another option- probably not the friendliest to AMF and other soil life, but if only in resticted stips maybe acceptable.
Sharing of comments, suggestions and any other experience would be appreciated.
The rotation has now come round to putting the beet in one of the year 1 direct drilled fields, and I am loathed to resort to undoing soil improvements which may have accumulated over this time with the plough. Soil here is a reasonable medium loam, some slighly heavier patches within fields. The beet usually has a application of FYM prior to cultivation.
Any suggestions on how I establish my beet without plough followed by power harrow.
The beet is harvested, so really needs to be precision seeded- I have an elderly, but trusty 7 row Webb drill.
I expect stip tillage of some sort will be needed- the simtech coulters are good on the end of a spring tine, but I dont think inverted T slots below a Webb drill will produce enough tilth!
I am in Fife, so not really any suitable strip tillage cultivators in use around here to hire. Only growing 10ac, so budget has to be justifiable.
My original thought was that a machine with tine to provide some loosening at depth, followed by a wavy disc (Vaderstad Crosscutter or similar) to mix trash, incorporate the FYM and provide tilth down each row would be what was required.
There was suggetsion in an earlier post of modifying a rotavator to only cultivate the required strips, so maybe this would be another option- probably not the friendliest to AMF and other soil life, but if only in resticted stips maybe acceptable.
Sharing of comments, suggestions and any other experience would be appreciated.