How far in advance should you plough to plant barley

[Farmerpickle]

Just wondered how long you suggest you should leave a field alone after it has been ploughed before you cultivate it and put the barley in the ground.
Many thanks.

 

[puppet]

Tomorrow morning

 

[Iben]

Soil type, intended planting date, work load, location?????

The list could go on.

 

[Farmerpickle]

Soil type, intended planting date, work load, location?????

The list could go on.

Clay loam, Late April, Somerset.

 

[Iben]

Just ploughed or plough and press?

Dry forecast, 12-24 hours.

 

[Barleymow]

Next door ploughed in September is as green as drilled fields work volunteer and rubbish

 

[Spencer]

Tomorrow morning

Not with forecast I’ve seen

 

[jh.]

For our heavier land ploughing before Christmas for spring cereals works best here . Not the best for soil erosion though. If I'm not ploughed up by end of Feb , I now prefer to mintill , than try and deal with the wet cheese the plough brings up.

If I was mostly light land I'd rather plough and sow in spring

 

[ollie989898]

If it is just ploughed and there is no opportunity to drill it I would leave it as long as necessary. In this county you drill when conditions allow. Late April for a spring barley crop?

 

[Oliveau]

Clay loam, Late April, Somerset.

Why late April? ’Cuckoo barley’
Start sowing as soon the ground is dry.

 

[ollie989898]

Why late April? ’Cuckoo barley’
Start sowing as soon the ground is dry.

This IS Somerset. It rains here. A lot.

 

[Spud]

Ploughing for spring barley? What was the previous crop?

 

[ollie989898]

Ploughing for spring barley? What was the previous crop?

Probably maize.

 

[teslacoils]

Next door ploughed in September is as green as drilled fields work volunteer and rubbish

Oof.

 

[teslacoils]

Why late April? ’Cuckoo barley’
Start sowing as soon the ground is dry.

And warm.

 

[Farmerpickle]

Ploughing for spring barley? What was the previous crop?

Been grass for years. And lot's of docks!

 

[ollie989898]

Been grass for years. And lot's of docks!

Soil test first, spray it off in the coming weeks, docks will be asleep at the moment so unlikely to take up the spray but no bother. Plough it up when you can. If it comes right the end of this month or in March, get on and drill it. Might be tempted to put on pre-em herbicide to help with the grass weed situation. Docks may arrive in the crop later but they are easy to kill in barley.

 

[Nearly]

Roundup now.
Disk in 2 weeks.
Roundup again pre drilling if docks germinate and drill in a month?