- Location
- Lincolnshire.
On our ground barley is not a good entry for oilseed rape. Wheat leaves the land in better condition. Personally I wouldn't grow barley though, itchy PITA all round.
Is anyone genuinely no tilling OSR consistently successfully?
- Thread starter SilliamWhale
- Start date
- Location
- Lincolnshire
On heavy land with high levels of residue I have come to the conclusion that it's best to get the plough in straight behind the combine and hope you get some weathering for any Autumn drilling. Anything else is fraught with all kinds of problems and complexity and becomes mission impossible if it gets a bit wet.
The mouldboard plough revolutionised agriculture in the wetter climes and heavier soils of Europe by turning the soil up to allow it to weather.
Weathering and patience is the key with heavy land. Clays need weathering to produce tilth. You can't force it.
The mouldboard plough revolutionised agriculture in the wetter climes and heavier soils of Europe by turning the soil up to allow it to weather.
Weathering and patience is the key with heavy land. Clays need weathering to produce tilth. You can't force it.
Louis Mc
Member
- Location
- Meath, Ireland
Nonsense alert
- Location
- Matching Green
Successful so far with a Simtech, look on my Twitter account. Generally I think tine drills work better in chopped straw than disc drills. I have tried in the past with a Moore but very inconsistent across the field in my experience on my land.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
After the combine has run on damp clay covered in a mat of chopped straw, it resembles a block of putty. It doesn't dry very quickly due to the straw mulch, particularly if topped up by showers we had this year. Wherever the combine and trailers have been, it's pretty solid and no tilth or crumb.
i will plough that land from now on. Plough, weather, power Harrow, drill. It's the only way that works consistently in a wet time with heavy reside without endless faffing about and high risk of failure.
There might opportunity to direct drill such land if the conditions are right but tbey are seldom right and I need a more robust approach. I can't afford to say it's too wet by mid September, leave it till the spring. Ploughing extends drilling well into October here, which is agronomically better for any reasons.
There is a lot of havers wit this zero till malarkey.
i will plough that land from now on. Plough, weather, power Harrow, drill. It's the only way that works consistently in a wet time with heavy reside without endless faffing about and high risk of failure.
There might opportunity to direct drill such land if the conditions are right but tbey are seldom right and I need a more robust approach. I can't afford to say it's too wet by mid September, leave it till the spring. Ploughing extends drilling well into October here, which is agronomically better for any reasons.
There is a lot of havers wit this zero till malarkey.
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- Location
- S. Staffs
Imo heavy land is where the biggest savings in time, money and diesel can be made by no-till. Every time you plough it you create work in trying to get back to a seedbed. As the soil structure improves with no till it just keeps improving.
If you don’t think it can be done on difficult soils, ask @Simon Chiles if you can go and look at his soil and crops. It was a revelation to me when we did so, and bought our first 750A from him on the strength of it!
If you don’t think it can be done on difficult soils, ask @Simon Chiles if you can go and look at his soil and crops. It was a revelation to me when we did so, and bought our first 750A from him on the strength of it!
SilliamWhale
Member
I 750-drilled some osr into lightly disced winter barley stubble last week and it has scarcely come up. I also no tilled some OSR in wheat stubble and that is much better.
Something in the barley residue is seriously hampering OSR germination on this farm. I can't explain it but its happened too often now
Something in the barley residue is seriously hampering OSR germination on this farm. I can't explain it but its happened too often now
- Location
- CW5 Cheshire
The only problem I get here is from slugs, with OSR into chopped wheat straw (using Sim-Tec tine). There is a patch where the slugs are biblical this year though.
I always see serious alleopathy when drilling anything other than beans in the spring into anything remotely green, yet I see others doing things and getting a crop that would be a complete failure here. It's strange how No Till works sometimes.
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SilliamWhale
Member
Yes I have a few slugs but not too bad and have pelleted. The diffence between establishment in the no tilled wheat (baled) and the barley is radical. And this seed went on at 3-3.5 kg acre @ 15" spacings ie the seed should be pretty full in the row.
I'm at a loss with it
We've pretty much given up with rape round here, because of flea beetles. Put some in early this year with companions (catch, berseem clover and buckwheat, so if rape fails, we still have cover) with osr at about 8 kg and it seems to have all come up. Weaving kinder than 750a to rape possibly? Baled wheat land, sprayed off patch shows up as very green rape in photo...rape likes N. Cattle under tree in background...I like to get my money's worth with a snap.
First time dd osr after sb and ww here and everything eaten by the slugs. My fault as I think I rushed it and didn’t get slots shut tight enough. I feel like I could of done better spinning seed on the top and stubble raking it in as At least then it’s up and away fast and not trying to come up from under the soil but I Will try again next year.