Here we we go again................

[teslacoils]

Soil type. Next door have stopped ploughing as it's both wet at depth, and like slop on top to grip.

 

[shakerator]

Yesterday I walked some min tilled/low disturbance to 8" land and it was dry on top, 2/3 nice days and it would drill. I also walked a small field nearby that has had continuous mixed cover for 3 years, lightly cultivated once in that time, last cropped in 2016, and a year of grass before that. Despite the current cover of phacelia, japanese reed millet and buckwheat being about the right height and density to drill through, the ground underneath was like sh1t.
Draw your own conclusions.
My conclusion is I'm either missing something or I'm a crap farmer farming crap.

it’s just shading from sun and wind

I bet in terms of soil/ water /air mixture the profile is favourable to a decent depth

not a lot of good if drill won’t run though !

 

[J 1177]

Untouched stubbles are like pure turd here. We've drains running now. I expect ploughed will dry quickest, but my "ruffled and rolled" has at least had a good chit of oats now.

I ploughed one stubble like that yesterday, ploughed up ok, would have hazed off and drilled today. Then it peed down, I carried on as it eased off, still ok. Then it twatted it down at 11 o clock last night. It's drying ok now but it won't go, would tomorrow but the forecast is for more rain..........FFS!!!

 

[teslacoils]

Children's half term is late this year. I expect a dry week end of October and we'll bang it in then. If not were all doomed as there's naff all drilled on unforgiving land round here.

 

[ajd132]

We have been drilling here into green cover when no one else can go on cultivated land, or they are bashing about with extra cultivation’s to try and make it dry. The top inch is pretty wet granted, but inside is lovely and friable, the seed is being pushed into the lovely soil on the side of the slot. Stuff I drilled 10 days ago when everyone had stopped is just emerging and the slugs are leaving it alone and eating the green cover (at the moment!)

 

[Clive]

We have been drilling here into green cover when no one else can go on cultivated land, or they are bashing about with extra cultivation’s to try and make it dry. The top inch is pretty wet granted, but inside is lovely and friable, the seed is being pushed into the lovely soil on the side of the slot. Stuff I drilled 10 days ago when everyone had stopped is just emerging and the slugs are leaving it alone and eating the green cover (at the moment!)

what % have you drilled with the sprinter this year vs the avatar ?

 

[ajd132]

what % have you drilled with the sprinter this year vs the avatar ?

More with the sprinter, mostly winter barley after spring barley and wheat after oats. Avatar is going into covers, it will be used a lot more next year when we get better organised with stripper heading and logistics etc

 

[snarling bee]

.

it’s just shading from sun and wind

I bet in terms of soil/ water /air mixture the profile is favourable to a decent depth

not a lot of good if drill won’t run though !

Just had a dig about with a spade in both areas. Very similar below the top inch, which is still much wetter where the cover is. Very friable underneath in both. Probably easier to push spade into cover cropped area to full depth. 3 or 4 times more worms in the cultivated area though which surprised me, perhaps they are all at depth under the cover crop.
Still too wet to drill either though.