November sown wheat going backwards?

[155tm]

What does it look like in your area?

Some of the neighbouring areas of ploughed and power harrowed wheat especially on the wet heavy ground isn't looking so pretty in the last few days.

Some of our direct drilled looks crap too......!

 

[Richard Budd]

Looked at a piece the other day (not ours.....had thrown in the towel by this stage) the plant was extremely weak the thing that struck me the most though was how shallow rooted and weak the root was - can not see these crops being very vigorous.

 

[155tm]

You have seen the bit opposite that we direct drilled in November, the best soil has a reasonable crop on it and should make money. But on the heavier soil it has gone back to stumps. Slugs have been the problem. When I looked early last week there was a small fresh shoot coming in the middle of some of those stumps. Can N keep those going? Roll to hammer slugs and mineralise some N when it is dry enough?

 

[Richard Budd]

Your bit opposite just highlights just how fine a line it can be with late sowing and how little you can get away with at that time of year. Slugs was one of the main reasons I stopped drilling had one block we drilled a week or so before you drilled that block and the slugs just shredded it, you could not apply pellets quickly enough. I do not know N will be enough with such poor roots, trouble just at the moment options seem limited - it may dry enough and then the dilemma will be what to keep and what it redrill with spring crop.

 

[Andy26]

Yes I've some early-mid November wheat thats gone backwards this past fortnight. It will be getting some N as soon as it will travel. And if dries up suitably a roll to encourage tillering.

 

[EJS]

even wheat drilled in good conditions in sep seemsto have stood still, later drilled stuff on chalk looks dreadful but over the road neighbour's seems to have got up and away

 

[155tm]

even wheat drilled in good conditions in sep seemsto have stood still, later drilled stuff on chalk looks dreadful but over the road neighbour's seems to have got up and away

The sad face tells me your neighbour's wheat is ok, rather than being that wet it has got up and walked out of the field, which is what I thought initially!! This year either is possible.

 

[Badshot]

I have noticed that a lot of late drilled after the plough and combi looked OK for a while, but has all but disappeared now. I am wondering if it is just dieing off from waterlogging in the soup that the soil became after working it in less than ideal conditions.

 

[Richard Budd]

I have noticed that a lot of late drilled after the plough and combi looked OK for a while, but has all but disappeared now. I am wondering if it is just dieing off from waterlogging in the soup that the soil became after working it in less than ideal conditions.

Think you might find that is very much the case, there is only so long that a plant will survive in waterlogged (anaerobic conditions).

 

[balerman]

Looked at a piece the other day (not ours.....had thrown in the towel by this stage) the plant was extremely weak the thing that struck me the most though was how shallow rooted and weak the root was - can not see these crops being very vigorous.

I think this could be a big problem IF we get an extended dry spell,cos these crops haven't needed deep roots up to now.

 

[Henery]

Had a good look round ours yesterday, nov drilled wheat post maize, with Agronomist. Plants are there but v small and don't look very lively to say the least. We will apply 25 kg of N as soon as poss , then hope for some kind weather. The very very last thing we need is a prolonged dry spell,
Fingers crossed we have a crop, but it's not going to break any records, even if we have a that fabulous growing season we so badly need.

 

[Mad Farmer]

Was hoping we might have got some spring wheat in this month, but that is unlikey now

 

[cotswoldcs]

Let's hope for a dry March. We planted no winter wheat and I'm only regretting it a very small amount. Just starting to dry up here and plan to start ploughing for spring beans next week.

 

[Brisel]

My November sown wheat is either thriving or dead. Where we drilled with our Rapid behind the plough we were going into dry(ish) soil it looks great. Where the clay content was a bit higher & it was drilled into land moved weeks before then it rained heavily just after sowing it never got going & I have been feeding the slugs ever since. There has been quite a bit of slug damage in January too, on land that I wouldn't consider to be sluggy normally.

I'm also putting 25 kg/ha of N on the backward crops on Monday when we can just about travel to buck them up & will roll when the soil has dried out considerably more. You don't need many plants/m2 to justify keeping them rather than mauling in another crop instead.

 

[Richard III]

Later sown wheat on heavy land looks to be in real trouble, or already gone around here now. Many fields are looking worse by the day.

What can you do with slumped, saturated heavy land that has been ploughed and power harrowed?

Some fields are simply going to take years to recover.

 

[Jerry]

Drove from Devon to Sussex today. M5, A303, M3, M25, M23

Saw some shocking winter crops and a stunning block of WOSR in wilts. Almost looked too good. On the whole though what was sown was poor, lots if bare stubbles in view as well.

Returning tomorrow via train so will get a look at a different but if ground from Paddington to Tiverton.

 

[Brisel]

The A303 & M3 cut through a big spring malting barley growing region on relatively light land which may explain the big areas of stubbles. Many of these will be in ELS overwintered stubble options which preclude cultivation before 15th Feb. Come back in a couple of weeks if the weather stays like this & you won't see much stubble left.

If your train goes via Swindon & Bristol you will be heading down the heavy clay of the Thames Valley - you'll see some crappy crops there...

 

[Stoxs]

What does it look like in your area?

Some of the neighbouring areas of ploughed and power harrowed wheat especially on the wet heavy ground isn't looking so pretty in the last few days.

Some of our direct drilled looks crap too......!

Just the opposite here

The ploughed/ power harrowed stuff is flying away drilled early november, the second wheats drilled late october/early november mintilled is suffering, been sticking some N on so hope it gives it a kick up the arse!