Is there a DD path for me?

[som farmer]

slightly different approach, we are having good results, spraying off with r-up, our agromonist says 1 litre r-up for every year grass has been down. really pays to leave it longer than you want to. 1 pass with sumo 8/9 ins if a pan is there, combo drill on that, sumo £25 acre combo £25 or if you cross drill £35. only used grass to grass, medium loam soil

 

[Clive]

slightly different approach, we are having good results, spraying off with r-up, our agromonist says 1 litre r-up for every year grass has been down. really pays to leave it longer than you want to. 1 pass with sumo 8/9 ins if a pan is there, combo drill on that, sumo £25 acre combo £25 or if you cross drill £35. only used grass to grass, medium loam soil

odd agronomic advice that ! I would used 3L min of 360g product regardless of how long grass has been down

 

[Matt77]

As soon as a grass has tillered I’d say you need at least 3L, single leaf then maybe less but...

 

[benferg]

Interesting that people are suggesting a tine drill for going into old pasture. Me I’d be far happier with a disc drill. As long as you can close the slot ok.

Are you sure there’s compaction in the grass. It’s not impossible but make sure you’ve done your homework. It can be tight but still have good soil structure.

Key to success is getting a good kill on the pasture. It all starts from there

 

[e3120]

Will be doing some digging. Headland/gateway compaction very likely due to heavy traffic/stocking rates. They need no persuasion to lie wet!

 

[DrWazzock]

What I have found.

Grass doesn't die very effectively unless you spray it in the autumn.

It's wet up north and if it's sticky land as well, then nothing dries it and creates a mould better than some well stood up ploughing with a bit of weather on it.

If all you have to do is plough and one pass with a combi drill then I'd stick with it.

Direct drilling is very unforgiving in a wet time.

I haven't found a tine drill that doesn't bung up sooner or later in a DD situation.

I have drilled OSR straight into a sprayed off grass ley in the autumn with good results on the sand but not so good establishment on the clay. Thus was with a 4 m Moore Unidrill. The clay was like concrete. I'd have needed about 700 hp to pull a tine drill through it and it would have come up like boulders.

There are always weeds that roundup won't touch like Cranesbill. Ploughing gets them and keeps the job tidy to the hedge bottom.

I wouldn't rule out DD but it's harder to get right than timely ploughing. Much much harder. Not saying it can't be done, just urging caution.

You get my drift.

 

[SilliamWhale]

What I have found.

Grass doesn't die very effectively unless you spray it in the autumn.

It's wet up north and if it's sticky land as well, then nothing dries it and creates a mould better than some well stood up ploughing with a bit of weather on it.

If all you have to do is plough and one pass with a combi drill then I'd stick with it.

Direct drilling is very unforgiving in a wet time.

I haven't found a tine drill that doesn't bung up sooner or later in a DD situation.

I have drilled OSR straight into a sprayed off grass ley in the autumn with good results on the sand but not so good establishment on the clay. Thus was with a 4 m Moore Unidrill. The clay was like concrete. I'd have needed about 700 hp to pull a tine drill through it and it would have come up like boulders.

There are always weeds that roundup won't touch like Cranesbill. Ploughing gets them and keeps the job tidy to the hedge bottom.

I wouldn't rule out DD but it's harder to get right than timely ploughing. Much much harder. Not saying it can't be done, just urging caution.

You get my drift.

I find it easier. Just drill and go! But knowing when to go is important

Yes grass is a bit harder to kill in the spring but there are ways of ameliorating that depending on what crop you grow and by planning your rotation.

Cranesbill doesn't have to be killed by roundup - you can use an in crop chemical for it.

 

[solo]

Unless the yard manure is well composted, then there could be ryegrass issues from the muck especially around feeders. Unless they are buried by a plough then viable grass seeds would proliferate in the cereal seedbed. Maybe I’m missing something, but this has been my experience with min till admittedly.