Failed Kale

[Sid]

Winifred we planted a month ago very few germinated and got cooked, rest is flying now.

Plans will change from grazing all with cows to maybe youngstock, probably miss autumn reseed(which I ain't a fan of) to some grazing rye and then spring under sown. #alwaysoptions

Weeds aren't going to hurt unless going to seed. I wouldn't even bother with spray, just cultivate and let them dry out IF they over take the crop.
Plenty of time until September for reseeding.

 

[Kevtherev]

Don’t risk grass now until later on
Get the weeds tackled and reseed later on in September.

 

[neilo]

Winifred we planted a month ago very few germinated and got cooked, rest is flying now.

Plans will change from grazing all with cows to maybe youngstock, probably miss autumn reseed(which I ain't a fan of) to some grazing rye and then spring under sown. #alwaysoptions

Weeds aren't going to hurt unless going to seed. I wouldn't even bother with spray, just cultivate and let them dry out IF they over take the crop.
Plenty of time until September for reseeding.

My Redstart, drilled around the same time, is similar. Getting a green tinge all over in the last couple of days, not just in the damper areas. It will get well established (at last)with this week’s drizzle, and will motor in the next month. All is not yet lost.

 

[JET]

I was meant to sow winfred but my seed rep decided that the Oliver Seeds Autumn feed would be better to sow ?
This was back on the 5/6/20 had a bit of rain since looking a bit better now but if we don't get more rain the bulbs will be extremely small and pointless

Had flea beetle very early on but managed to spray it asap

will be on the hunt for some lambs end of the year as i wont risk it with young cattle

 

[neilo]

I was meant to sow winfred but my seed rep decided that the Oliver Seeds autum feed would be better to sow ?
This was back on the 5/6/20 had a bit of rain since looking a bit better now but if we dont get more rain the bulbs will be extremely small and pointless

Presumably, with that mix, you don’t intend grazing it until the Autumn. Plenty of time to catch up before then.

 

[Sid]

My Redstart, drilled around the same time, is similar. Getting a green tinge all over in the last couple of days, not just in the damper areas. It will get well established (at last)with this week’s drizzle, and will motor in the next month. All is not yet lost.

Have seen plenty of poor winter cereals ripped up and replaced with spring cereals that have completely failed.
Sometimes better to stick with what is established.

 

[pgk]

Plenty of cheaper seed about .you dont have to pay a kings king's ransom
It will cost him £40 to put turnips in if he puts firt on so still a gamble with money to gain what

What sort of cheap mixes have worked for you? We had our first failure of expensive late heading pp, festulolium and clover seeded last autumn just before we had 5 months of rain.

 

[d williams]

If grass wont grow brasica wont , this has grass and rape . Its green over with grass today when I saw it, that pictures a week old , rape has just decided ylto make a show . It's been down a month, I may not know much but I see a lot View attachment 887301

It’s all to do with time ing drilled rape turnips last Monday through Friday be in rows end of this week the answer is moisture and seed by great at grass delivered when needed

 

[glasshouse]

Have seen plenty of poor winter cereals ripped up and replaced with spring cereals that have completely failed.
Sometimes better to stick with what is established.

I was going to plough some timothy hay that i thought was poor
Thr spring wheat i was going to sow would now be a disaster like many are , and the timothy hay is far better than last year.
Cousin swithered about ripping out bad wheat, but now it looks ok

 

[neilo]

What sort of cheap mixes have worked for you? We had our first failure of expensive late heading pp, festulolium and clover seeded last autumn just before we had 5 months of rain.

The cheaper mix that @Derrick Hughes was telling us about a month ago had a lower seed rate than a lot, and was a mix of mostly older/less fashionable varieties. IF plant breeding is making the progress their marketing men claim, the yield advantages of new varieties will more than make up any difference in seed price.

Most companies will do cheaper mixes alongside their flashy ones. Germinal, for example, do one catalogue of super duper Aber High Sugar Grass mixes, with all the latest varieties included, but also a Seedmark catalogue, with cheaper mixes made up mostly of the varieties that were ‘the next big thing’ two years ago.

Of course, they will all die the same if the seedlings are droughted out, or spend a winter under water.

 

[neilo]

Have seen plenty of poor winter cereals ripped up and replaced with spring cereals that have completely failed.
Sometimes better to stick with what is established.

Plenty of those round here too. However, my best Spring Barley crops are the ones that I DD’ed into sprayed off (DD) Winter Barley. They are far better than the fields that didn’t get drilled, sat bare & waterlogged all winter, then needed cultivating to break the concrete surface up.

 

[Sid]

The cheaper mix that @Derrick Hughes was telling us about a month ago had a lower seed rate than a lot, and was a mix of mostly older/less fashionable varieties. IF plant breeding is making the progress their marketing men claim, the yield advantages of new varieties will more than make up any difference in seed price.

Most companies will do cheaper mixes alongside their flashy ones. Germinal, for example, do one catalogue of super duper Aber High Sugar Grass mixes, with all the latest varieties included, but also a Seedmark catalogue, with cheaper mixes made up mostly of the varieties that were ‘the next big thing’ two years ago.

Of course, they will all die the same if the seedlings are droughted out, or spend a winter under water.

Value for money is the key.
Just because a grass mix is cheaper doesn't mean it's good value.
Seen mixes with a lower seed rate. 15kg v 12kg that's 20% less per weight but not necessarily by seed numbers.

Maybe sow something cost effective over the top of the kale to bulk it out this year?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What sort of cheap mixes have worked for you? We had our first failure of expensive late heading pp, festulolium and clover seeded last autumn just before we had 5 months of rain.

Paying £55 for a long term mix sown 6 weeks ago, you dont need more that 13.5kg in a late heading rygrass with clover and Timothy as it tillers like hell , ask them why they dont put much more in a short term mix that dont tiller half as much ,We used to sow Italion at 20 kg

 

[Sid]

Paying £55 for a long term mix sown 6 weeks ago, you dont need more that 13.5kg in a late heading rygrass with clover and Timothy as it tillers like hell , ask them why they dont put much more in a short term mix that dont tiller half as much ,We used to sow Italion at 20 kg View attachment 887351View attachment 887352

Sown the 1st of May?

Everyone elses spring planted crops are dismal or have failed!

 

[neilo]

Paying £55 for a long term mix sown 6 weeks ago, you dont need more that 13.5kg in a late heading rygrass with clover and Timothy as it tillers like hell , ask them why they dont put much more in a short term mix that dont tiller half as much ,We used to sow Italion at 20 kg View attachment 887351View attachment 887352

That rain stuff is a wonderful thing.

Is that annual meadowgrass flowering in the bottom right of both pictures?

 

[Great In Grass]

What sort of cheap mixes have worked for you? We had our first failure of expensive late heading pp, festulolium and clover seeded last autumn just before we had 5 months of rain.

A Festulolium in a permanent pasture mix? Or have I read it wrong.

 

[Sid]

That rain stuff is a wonderful thing.

Is that annual meadowgrass flowering in the bottom right of both pictures?

Cheap AND well proven ?

 

[ollie989898]

Paying £55 for a long term mix sown 6 weeks ago, you dont need more that 13.5kg in a late heading rygrass with clover and Timothy as it tillers like hell , ask them why they dont put much more in a short term mix that dont tiller half as much ,We used to sow Italion at 20 kg View attachment 887351View attachment 887352

Nice drill miss that is now full of AMG. The reason to keep seed rates high is to outcompete the carp grasses.

 

[ollie989898]

A Festulolium in a permanent pasture mix? Or have I read it wrong.

Calling something a permanent pasture mix is a bit naughty but I agree putting festulolium in long term mixes needs a word of caution- Lofa, for example, I have known to life 4 years fine, some of the Italian crosses however, do not.

 

[celtis man]

A lot of ours hasn’t even chitted, or broken the seed coating yet, and that was all primed seed. In places, one in 4 plants is up to 8 leaves and looking well considering, with those in between waiting to germinate.
This small amount of rain will see it chit, along with another flush of weeds.
All is not yet lost.

I am pleased to report tonight that our field of beet looks like it will finally put in an appearance my big problem now are weeds which we are ready to spray … we even had Rolly our mate in with his nasher on row crops and sprayer in ready to go but we had yet another shower so that stopped that