Mustard cover crop advice

Rookie

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincs / Notts
Got a couple of fields which are lightish land and have just come out of growing lawn turf. I have sprayed them off and gone through with the Sumo to break the surface up to a depth of around 6 inch as was like concrete, and to prevent water pooling.
I am planning on putting winter wheat in at the start of October, but thought it might be better to have a cover crop of some description rather than left bare.
Is there time for a cover crop of mustard to be worthwhile, and if so what seed rate as the seed companies seem to suggest 25kg/ha which I think is on the high side. Thanks.
 

robbie

Member
BASIS
Got a couple of fields which are lightish land and have just come out of growing lawn turf. I have sprayed them off and gone through with the Sumo to break the surface up to a depth of around 6 inch as was like concrete, and to prevent water pooling.
I am planning on putting winter wheat in at the start of October, but thought it might be better to have a cover crop of some description rather than left bare.
Is there time for a cover crop of mustard to be worthwhile, and if so what seed rate as the seed companies seem to suggest 25kg/ha which I think is on the high side. Thanks.
To give you an idea of growth both fields would have been planted early august and ploughed in end of sept early Oct.
 

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Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Sow at 8kg to 10kg/ha.

Bear in mind Mustard can be very sensitive to stress (lack of water, lack of nitrogen or very high temperature) and can run to seed very quickly. As its biomass rapidly becomes fibrous, it is slow to break down and during decomposition nitrogen losses can be high.
 

robbie

Member
BASIS
I can't remember to be honest it was a few years ago but it wouldnt have been much. It was pigtailed and spun on with fert spinner, I think 5kg perhaps a bit more but certainly no where near as high as 10.
 

casper74

Member
Location
North Yorkshire
Got a couple of fields which are lightish land and have just come out of growing lawn turf. I have sprayed them off and gone through with the Sumo to break the surface up to a depth of around 6 inch as was like concrete, and to prevent water pooling.
I am planning on putting winter wheat in at the start of October, but thought it might be better to have a cover crop of some description rather than left bare.
Is there time for a cover crop of mustard to be worthwhile, and if so what seed rate as the seed companies seem to suggest 25kg/ha which I think is on the high side. Thanks.
Watch out for pigeons, flea beetle and no rain, them 3 have buggered my mustard crop:mad::mad:
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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