How to boost direct drilled spring barley

[alomy75]

Normally about £10 excited

£10 deducted?! I have not a clue. I’ve always avoided growing/field walking or even touching barley at all times but my old chap remembers this particular block of 2 fields being continuous barley when he was a boy and ‘they always seemed to do quite well’ apparently so we are going to have a go…that was however having been ploughed by a fw30 and par-harred each time…

 

[SilliamWhale]

How did the dd spr barley turn out? I’m contemplating putting a block into barley of some description (these dry springs on my lightest block are proving tricky for anything else to grow) but reading this thread maybe I’ll go winter barley instead of spring as it will be dd. Just concerned about volunteers It’s following spr wheat…how excited do merchants get with wheat in a feed barley sample?

They shouldn't care and will hardly notice

 

[Tractor Boy]

How did the dd spr barley turn out? I’m contemplating putting a block into barley of some description (these dry springs on my lightest block are proving tricky for anything else to grow) but reading this thread maybe I’ll go winter barley instead of spring as it will be dd. Just concerned about volunteers It’s following spr wheat…how excited do merchants get with wheat in a feed barley sample?

Not great I’m afraid. It’s probably just struggled to 5t/ha. Never had any vigour and then eventually died rather than ripen during that 39/40C couple of days. I think @ajd132 is correct in that spring barley is the hardest crop to DD. I had spring oats, peas and in previous years spring wheat, and all have been easier and higher yielding than complete no til spring barley.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Some of my spring barley only did 2t acre ISH this year and some was shallow cultivated to try out a new machine and some was no tilled.

Basically it didn't have the perfect season for it.

 

[Huntstreet]

What was the drill dates of people that struggled with DD s barley? Also what was your seed rate, timing or N and where in the uk are you? We're you happy with the yield?

I'm looking to DD most if my s barley this year. I did a bit last year on x turnip ground and it worked well. Drilled mid March.

I focus on soil condition rather than a drill date, but ill be aiming for early to mid-March. May go a little earlier on some chalky ground. Nitram spread a week or so before drilling. 500 seeds per m/2. I'm going to use an avatar 25cm spacing but drill it twice. Some of the fields are wheat stumble with straw removed and the others are grazed turnip fields.

 

[Huntstreet]

What was the drill dates of people that struggled with DD s barley? Also what was your seed rate, timing or N and where in the uk are you? We're you happy with the yield?

I'm looking to DD most if my s barley this year. I did a bit last year on x turnip ground and it worked well. Drilled mid March.

I focus on soil condition rather than a drill date, but ill be aiming for early to mid-March. May go a little earlier on some chalky ground. Nitram spread a week or so before drilling. 500 seeds per m/2. I'm going to use an avatar 25cm spacing but drill it twice. Some of the fields are wheat stumble with straw removed and the others are grazed turnip fields.

Ps I'm in the south east.

 

[Tractor Boy]

What was the drill dates of people that struggled with DD s barley? Also what was your seed rate, timing or N and where in the uk are you? We're you happy with the yield?

I'm looking to DD most if my s barley this year. I did a bit last year on x turnip ground and it worked well. Drilled mid March.

I focus on soil condition rather than a drill date, but ill be aiming for early to mid-March. May go a little earlier on some chalky ground. Nitram spread a week or so before drilling. 500 seeds per m/2. I'm going to use an avatar 25cm spacing but drill it twice. Some of the fields are wheat stumble with straw removed and the others are grazed turnip fields.

Mine last year was drilled direct with a 750a at 500 seeds per m2 at the end of March into Clay soil after chopped wheat straw. Conditions were good but obviously started to dry out after drilling. The plant establishment was fairly good but the barley never got going. There was quite a lot of volunteer wheat and groundsel only sprayed off at drilling. The crop only just scraped 5t/ha where conventional spring barley round here on similar soil in East Anglia was comfortably yielding 7-8 last harvest.
I think as others have eluded to on this forum, spring barley probably needs a light cultivation in the previous Autumn to get the best out of it.