Fertilizer for westerwolds and forage rye

[Joeblue]

I set westerwolds and forage rye after maize in october .Both crops got 2 bags 18.6.12 /acre on seed bed and a bag 27.2.5.5 in mid jan plan is to zero graze in march if needed or ensile in late april before ploughing. Should i give another bag of urea now?

 

[cotswoldcs]

I'd be interested on seeing photos of the field in question. What's the soil index like? I grow cover crops but never put any fertiliser on until early March if taking a silage cut in late April/ early May. I may not be going for high production like you. I did read that Rye shouldn't go through the winter too "proud" and to graze if it gets too adavanced. How tall is your crop now?

 

[neilo]

I set westerwolds and forage rye after maize in october .Both crops got 2 bags 18.6.12 /acre on seed bed and a bag 27.2.5.5 in mid jan plan is to zero graze in march if needed or ensile in late april before ploughing. Should i give another bag of urea now?

I have 8ac of a Westerwolds/forage rape mix in that was grazed until the end of October. Growth has started in the last couple of weeks but looks dark green so presumably not short on N yet.
I was intending putting a dose of N on as soon as I can travel on the adjoining Winter Barley fields (so likely a week or two now). Planning on grazing mine with sheep from the end of Feb, rather than mowing though.

Whereabouts are you? Westerwolds will start growing at 5 degrees iirc, and rye somewhere similar.
However, if you put N on in mid Jan, I doubt it will have used much yet, unless you are in tropical climes. I wouldn’t be in any hurry just yet, not here anyway. Location/temperature is everything though.

 

[Joeblue]

I'd be interested on seeing photos of the field in question. What's the soil index like? I grow cover crops but never put any fertiliser on until early March if taking a silage cut in late April/ early May. I may not be going for high production like you. I did read that Rye shouldn't go through the winter too "proud" and to graze if it gets too adavanced. How tall is your crop now?

Hi Cotswolds. The crops r growing well we measured Westerwolds it last week and there is a cover of 600 kg/DM HA we had super growth on the south coast of ireland this winter 10 kg/day and just one slight frost we cant graze it so will be hoping to zero graze it when covers hit about 1200kgprobably March. Then take a cut off it before ploughing it again.

 

[bobk]

I set westerwolds and forage rye after maize in october .Both crops got 2 bags 18.6.12 /acre on seed bed and a bag 27.2.5.5 in mid jan plan is to zero graze in march if needed or ensile in late april before ploughing. Should i give another bag of urea now?

Depends where you are .?

 

[Joeblue]

I have 8ac of a Westerwolds/forage rape mix in that was grazed until the end of October. Growth has started in the last couple of weeks but looks dark green so presumably not short on N yet.
I was intending putting a dose of N on as soon as I can travel on the adjoining Winter Barley fields (so likely a week or two now). Planning on grazing mine with sheep from the end of Feb, rather than mowing though.

Whereabouts are you? Westerwolds will start growing at 5 degrees iirc, and rye somewhere similar.
However, if you put N on in mid Jan, I doubt it will have used much yet, unless you are in tropical climes. I wouldn’t be in any hurry just yet, not here anyway. Location/temperature is everything though.

 

[Joeblue]

Neilo .in south east of Ireland we have had very soft winter with 10 kg growth every day soil temp is about 8 at moment.Your probably right on fert.

 

[Joeblue]

Depends where you are .?

O

 

[Joeblue]

On se coast of irl. Soil now 8 degrees

 

[Joeblue]

Hi Cotswolds. The crops r growing well we measured Westerwolds it last week and there is a cover of 600 kg/DM HA we had super growth on the south coast of ireland this winter 10 kg/day and just one slight frost we cant graze it so will be hoping to zero graze it when covers hit about 1200kgprobably March. Then take a cut off it before ploughing it again.

 

[Joeblue]

Cotswolds Indexs 3 s

 

[neilo]

Neilo .in south east of Ireland we have had very soft winter with 10 kg growth every day soil temp is about 8 at moment.Your probably right on fert.

So near and yet so far. You may as well be on a different planet.

If you’re getting that sort of growth then it will have been using that N steadily, in which case that urea won’t do any harm in a week or so I suspect (urea is a bit slower becoming available anyway IME). It is a Nitrogen hungry crop, responding well to it but missing it desperately when it’s short.