Honest john
Member
- Location
- Fenland
In seed maybe ?
Last edited:
Has anyone ever got on top of/eliminated black grass....
- Thread starter Louis Mc
- Start date
In seed maybe ?
Pieces_of_Eight
Member
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
Novel, innovative ideas and thinking outside of the box is probably the only way to truly beat BG on heavily infested land.
Biosecurity needs to be brought in line with pigs & poultry.
As long as Glyphosate is still available and functional, IMHO abandon Autumn drilling and concentrate efforts on getting as many flushes as possible between combining and Spring drilling.
Alternatively, grass everything and graze, bale or AD it all for three years, then direct drill without ploughing.
Or as a plan B, someone needs to develop a gas burner that will exterminate weeds for when Glyphosate is withdrawn.
Sorry to hear that. I often walk round in Feb feeling happyish and now wonder where it all came from.
Few reasons. The grass had really dried the land out, and as it hadnt been worked deep for some time, and the number of years since it had last had a plough the though was that it would be a nice clean start given we had plenty of time to get the land ready. The original plan was to drill with OSR but like a tit I thought it would be nice to have it wheat with the other fields adjoining it.
One plus today is that one field which also looked to have had a late flush turned out to be cleavers (!) which were promptly given a dose of Starane. But that field has gone from bad BG to almost nothing in 6 years - itd also larger than the field I have now titsed up, so overall still getting better.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
With wheat prices as they are, wouldn't it be worth leaving an infested field fallow for a full year, lightly cultivating the surface and spraying off flushes as they arise? Subsoil if necessary, sort drainage and zero till in the spring, i.e. 18 months after previous harvest.
Apparently you have to keep spraying off as the blackgrass comes through, otherwise the roots exude something that stops other blackgrass seed from germinating.
I have one tramline width of 24 m which is quite badly infested due to growing OSR on just that one tramline of the field three years ago, and bringing the combine in from an infested field to harvest it.
Very tempted to glyphosate that tramline now. Was going for silage but I reckon too many chemicals to be safe for the stock.
Apparently you have to keep spraying off as the blackgrass comes through, otherwise the roots exude something that stops other blackgrass seed from germinating.
I have one tramline width of 24 m which is quite badly infested due to growing OSR on just that one tramline of the field three years ago, and bringing the combine in from an infested field to harvest it.
Very tempted to glyphosate that tramline now. Was going for silage but I reckon too many chemicals to be safe for the stock.
- Location
- CW5 Cheshire
I rented out an off lying field out to another farmer for a few years once, when I took it back it had a large patch of black grass in it (they also farm a block of land in Lincolnshire). It has cleared up remarkably easily, just used No Till, full rate kerb and full rate liberator. I've not seen a single plant for two years now, this year it is in wheat and only had Broadway Star, sprayed T2 today and seen nothing.
The main farm is also now infected on about 1/3rd of the fields though, just a few plants here and there. I don't think they came back on the combine, but can't be sure. Cover crops containing linseed are another possible way to import it, and on my suspicion list too.
Locally, most combining and baling is done by contractors, perfect for BG spread.
The main farm is also now infected on about 1/3rd of the fields though, just a few plants here and there. I don't think they came back on the combine, but can't be sure. Cover crops containing linseed are another possible way to import it, and on my suspicion list too.
Locally, most combining and baling is done by contractors, perfect for BG spread.
Simon Chiles
DD Moderator
- Location
- Surrey/ Kent Border, UK
That's not looking for trouble, it's called getting down on your knees and begging for it!
Honest john
Member
- Location
- Fenland
Would a rotation along the lines of Grass Grass S Barley S Barley S Barley Grass.
Or S Barley S Barley S Barley S Beet S Barley
Not be a better road to drive on than Fallow to get land cleaned up.
You can do a great job in a fallow but what next ?
You would still need a run of Spring cropping. IMO.
Or S Barley S Barley S Barley S Beet S Barley
Not be a better road to drive on than Fallow to get land cleaned up.
You can do a great job in a fallow but what next ?
You would still need a run of Spring cropping. IMO.
Mark C
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Grass isn't a silver bullet UNLESS you are prepared to leave it in for a minimum of 2 years, preferably 3 or more. The longer you leave the soil undisturbed the better.
I'll openly admit that if:
a) I had more of an interest in beasts,
b) I could see a way to make reasonable £££ from grass / beasts
c) beasts didnt give me the impression of totally forking with the time I have available in the day
then it would be much less of a problem. If the farm was 4 years in grass, then OSR, WW, sp beans, w barley and back to grass then would there even be a problem?
a) I had more of an interest in beasts,
b) I could see a way to make reasonable £££ from grass / beasts
c) beasts didnt give me the impression of totally forking with the time I have available in the day
then it would be much less of a problem. If the farm was 4 years in grass, then OSR, WW, sp beans, w barley and back to grass then would there even be a problem?
Honest john
Member
- Location
- Fenland
What I am & most others also are finding it hard to come to terms on.
Is that we need to rub along & make friends with this weed or made big changes.
I see around me most farmers making changes but not the big changes required.
In real BG country like west of Cambridge all the little things were tryed, a few years back & now the bigger changes are happening.
Continuous Spring Barley,
Sugar Beet on heavy land where band spraying can do a fair job.
Spring cropping on ground not best suited to it.
Wide rows & band spraying.
What about growing Barley or Mustard in with the beet & spraying out, to out compete the BG.
Are the sprays even worth buying now ?
only 2 pre eme's are having a fair go at it now.
We have to face facts a lot of BG is just srugging off any amount of Chemicals.
So no I haven't beaten weed , & short of Grassing it down I think we have to live will it for now.
Is that we need to rub along & make friends with this weed or made big changes.
I see around me most farmers making changes but not the big changes required.
In real BG country like west of Cambridge all the little things were tryed, a few years back & now the bigger changes are happening.
Continuous Spring Barley,
Sugar Beet on heavy land where band spraying can do a fair job.
Spring cropping on ground not best suited to it.
Wide rows & band spraying.
What about growing Barley or Mustard in with the beet & spraying out, to out compete the BG.
Are the sprays even worth buying now ?
only 2 pre eme's are having a fair go at it now.
We have to face facts a lot of BG is just srugging off any amount of Chemicals.
So no I haven't beaten weed , & short of Grassing it down I think we have to live will it for now.
- Location
- East yorks
I am doing that with one field today, looked at Spring cropping and with the horrendous April decided not to do anything. So it's now a fallow, killed off all that grew over winter, will spread some muck on it disc once and then decide if I will Autumn drill
BG has been on this farm all my life. Spring crops suffer no yield penalty but I don't think I can ever get nil seed return. I too will be living with it. Not sure that some of the farms west of Cambridge will ever deal with it. Know of some sprayed off wheat replaced by maize then peas, both clean ww this year is pretty bad with it. Really don't rate band spraying beet or growing it on heavy land from what I've seen.
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
rotation is the key to control and prevention
rotate chemical mode of action I have some fields that antlantis works on but others that it completely fails on
rotate crops grass if you have a use 3 consecutive later planted spring crops reduce it a lot
rotate drilling dates if it is bad then drill late spring for a couple of years
rotate cultivations plough slowly if the land has not been mixed up by maxitill or ploughed notill spring crops if it has had too much mixing
the final thing is not to get complacent and think you has it sorted then revert to a bg enhancing cropping with low herbicide usage
rotate chemical mode of action I have some fields that antlantis works on but others that it completely fails on
rotate crops grass if you have a use 3 consecutive later planted spring crops reduce it a lot
rotate drilling dates if it is bad then drill late spring for a couple of years
rotate cultivations plough slowly if the land has not been mixed up by maxitill or ploughed notill spring crops if it has had too much mixing
the final thing is not to get complacent and think you has it sorted then revert to a bg enhancing cropping with low herbicide usage
- Location
- East yorks
I have never seemed to have got very good BG control in SB on heavy land, it takes to long to get going and by then the BG is off as well. It just has less economic effect but apart from the initial kill off pre drilling the rest is mediocre
- Location
- Bedfordshire
2 years fallow with multiple light cultivation and glyphosate gets rid of it. Not much money in that though.
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
later planting spring crops with no till has reduced bg here on ragdale heavy silty clay
elimination is difficult to measure but after winter rape with bg in the base s[ring barley spring beans spring barley back tp rape is very effective
2 years grass winter wheat spring beans is also very effective at reducing it
using a full stack with avadex and notill
early ploughing after a few years of notill /mintill 2 " max depth would be effective following osr but the ploughman needs to be of a high standard disc coulters and slow speed
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Another possibility.
My neighbour took on a field that had a been in wheat and had a fair but not massive blackgrass problem. I know this because I was farming it. He left the wheat stubble overwinter then ploughed it about 12" deep before drilling beet. It then went in with winter wheat, min tilled, and no doubt it's had some Atlantis but it's absolutely clean of black grass for the first time in years.
Well done that man.
Deep ploughing isn't fashionable but maybe it works. Put the seed right down and don't bring it up again.
My neighbour took on a field that had a been in wheat and had a fair but not massive blackgrass problem. I know this because I was farming it. He left the wheat stubble overwinter then ploughed it about 12" deep before drilling beet. It then went in with winter wheat, min tilled, and no doubt it's had some Atlantis but it's absolutely clean of black grass for the first time in years.
Well done that man.
Deep ploughing isn't fashionable but maybe it works. Put the seed right down and don't bring it up again.
Today I saw some BG in some wheat. The field used to be 3 separate fields 6 or 7 years ago. I can't ever remember seeing any amount of BG on that land at all. However today you can clearly see the middle field of the three has bad BG. Makes you think no?
Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
I've seen a lot of black-grass today, and refreshingly it wasn't on the bit we actually farm, although somewhat depressingly it was on land we own. Lesson 1 - rotational ploughing does work. Lesson 2 - ploughing every year is definitely not as good and not good enough. Lesson 3 - there is quite a difference between farmers on the same soil type meaning the human can't just blame the chemical kit. Lesson 4 - black-grass is not just a heavy land weed; if you aren't on the ball you can seriously infest light land too. Lesson 5 - I need a lesson in grassland management and the economics of sheep. Lesson 6 - the definition of madness is doing the same thing as last year and expecting a different result. Lesson 7 - should have thought more seriously about building an AD plant whilst the FiT was there.