New to strip till

Manny

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
In the middle.
Hi All

After dropping the plough about 10 years ago and getting down to a pass with a trio then toptilth and rolls before drilling I have now just brought a Mzuri pro till 3t to cut down even more on the passes. Were on very variable land with up to 7 soil types in some fields that are no bigger than 30ac. We farm about 500ac of arable growing ww, wb, sb and wosr. We have 50 suckler cows so there is muck in the system and some straw going off to neibours as well as some temperary grass leys.

One thing we have learned over the last few years is that seedbed fert really helps on this land. Are others in strip till or direct drilling using fert at drilling and if so what are you using down the spout with rape and wheat/barley?

Chris.
 
Hi All

After dropping the plough about 10 years ago and getting down to a pass with a trio then toptilth and rolls before drilling I have now just brought a Mzuri pro till 3t to cut down even more on the passes. Were on very variable land with up to 7 soil types in some fields that are no bigger than 30ac. We farm about 500ac of arable growing ww, wb, sb and wosr. We have 50 suckler cows so there is muck in the system and some straw going off to neibours as well as some temperary grass leys.

One thing we have learned over the last few years is that seedbed fert really helps on this land. Are others in strip till or direct drilling using fert at drilling and if so what are you using down the spout with rape and wheat/barley?

Chris.

Yes. I have been putting fertilizer with the seed for a few years now in my one pass system. The amount of benefit you see will depend on the how wide your spacings. Narrow spacings will not see as much benefit over broadcast. Wider spacings will see a greater benefit.

I have been broadcasting the N, but plan to setup for a small initial app at planting, just not in the seed trench.

For my cereals and brassica, I put down a 50/50 mix of MAP and K-mag. That is not based on any tests, as we too have extremely variable soil types within the same field. We base that on what is "normally" our limiting factors as the seed germinates and emerges. We have also been having great luck putting down a granulated lime with the fert and seeds. The first time we tried this, we have the lime mixed with the fertilizer and it worked awesome. Now we have a 3 tank cart and can turn the lime on and off per field with a flip of the switch.
 

Rainmaker

Member
Location
Canterbury,NZ
Yes. I have been putting fertilizer with the seed for a few years now in my one pass system. The amount of benefit you see will depend on the how wide your spacings. Narrow spacings will not see as much benefit over broadcast. Wider spacings will see a greater benefit.

I have been broadcasting the N, but plan to setup for a small initial app at planting, just not in the seed trench.

For my cereals and brassica, I put down a 50/50 mix of MAP and K-mag. That is not based on any tests, as we too have extremely variable soil types within the same field. We base that on what is "normally" our limiting factors as the seed germinates and emerges. We have also been having great luck putting down a granulated lime with the fert and seeds. The first time we tried this, we have the lime mixed with the fertilizer and it worked awesome. Now we have a 3 tank cart and can turn the lime on and off per field with a flip of the switch.
Very interesting, what sort of lime are you using? you must not need a lot of lime if it's going down at drilling?
Do you think in time you'll end up with PH strips in the paddock in dry years?

http://www.optimise.net.nz/optimise.html
 
Dont think so on the lime strips. We put down 100 pounds per acre and it is granular so it meters fine with a seed meter, though we use an air cart. But we do use a lot of lime. Our soils tend to leach calcium and magnesium pretty easily. We broadcast whatever rate needed to get the field to mid to high 6s and then do what we call maintenance apps with the drill. We'll see over time how well we can keep the calcium and ph levels up with only planting application. Our soil tests have shown in our no=till/dd fields that the top 2" become most acid quickly with the residue and rain fall here. So lime with the seed sounded like a good idea and we have stuck with it so far.
 

Rainmaker

Member
Location
Canterbury,NZ
Thank you for the reply, interesting stuff.
I were speaking to one of the first all no-till arable farmers (using a cross-slot drill) in our area the other week about lime.
He was saying he has found on his thin stony silt the lime works it's way down in time with the worms/irrigation but there are different PH layers in the profile for some time unlike working it in with a Sunflower a few times.

Bit of a side topic..... do you feel if one were too variable rate spread lime on land with ph up and down like a roller coaster the heavy application areas that ended up with 3 tonne/ha or the likes would force a guys hand to mix/till it in well just to re set the ledger before going down the road you have?
 
Thank you for the reply, interesting stuff.
I were speaking to one of the first all no-till arable farmers (using a cross-slot drill) in our area the other week about lime.
He was saying he has found on his thin stony silt the lime works it's way down in time with the worms/irrigation but there are different PH layers in the profile for some time unlike working it in with a Sunflower a few times.

Bit of a side topic..... do you feel if one were too variable rate spread lime on land with ph up and down like a roller coaster the heavy application areas that ended up with 3 tonne/ha or the likes would force a guys hand to mix/till it in well just to re set the ledger before going down the road you have?

I wish I could find my soil tests for a short term no-till field that I have. It showed in just a few seasons, the entire nutrient profile becomes as they say "stratified". When I takes samples, I take 3 samples per probe. 0-2", then 3-6", then 7-12". It shows the lime leaching downward as well as other nutrients.

As to working in the lime,,............well,..........on a dd page we are supposed to say no. But in reality, it depends on the grind of the lime. We have a newer lime available to us thru one of our local dealers, that is very fine grind. It is even screened to insure even particle size and is supposed to be fine enough to not need incorporation. We have used it on a couple fields now with good results as far it's effectiveness and speed of action. But I cant speak as to how rapidly it works it's way into the profile. We do have a very active and high population of worms as well as the rainfall to carry it. Just need to take some samples sometime to see.

I dont care what anyone says, if you have a need to set your field up before going into a new less disturbance system, then do so. I have done it and it has really helped. Let the purists thump on their no-till bible. There is nothing wrong with setting things up for a new system even if it involves tillage.
 

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