OSR - End of life treatment

[Hjwise]

Last year I decided not to spray off my OSR to see what it was like to combine. I sprayed a small part of one field that had some thistles. I found that the non sprayed fed in to the combine a lot better - my only disappointment was that I had bothered to put podstick on, which made the tramlines more difficult to cut (I think podstick is more for you own peace of mind rather than a financial decision). Anyway, I decided that this year I would not spray off or use podstick - but now I’m starting to bottle it. Can anyone reassure me of my original decision?!

 

[Fish]

I always found that you could be quite brutal with the reel in natural ripened rape, as for pod stick, I've tried sprayed, and unsprayed both with and without glypho, never seen any difference.

 

[Adeptandy]

I'd go podstick on green pods, but find desiccation of OSR ( unless full of weed ) a complete waste of time, combines a lot easier when it dies naturally. If your not going to wait 3 weeks from Glypho to harvest I really cant see the point.

 

[Zippy768]

Use podstick this year and leave a few tramelines. Might give you more knowledge for decision making next year.

Of course some of the benefits of podstick might be weather dependent....

 

[glasshouse]

Swathe it
Far quicker

 

[T Hectares]

It really depends on the crop

If it's even and clean from weeds, leave it, I'll be more weather proof and probably have higher oil content and yield better

If it's all over the place due to larvae or autumn fb grazing, or dirty, dessicate

It's probably quite short this year??

I worked on a farm for 8 years where we never dessicated a thing, warning - patience may be needed!!

This field cut a treat direct in '18 ( no pod stick) and it was the highest yielder with the best oils, aah the good old days...

 

[DrWazzock]

I’d swathe it any time. Consistent kill, easy feed as long as it doesn’t get too much rain on it.

 

[Hjwise]

Most of it is pretty clean and even, so I think I’ll give it another go. This time without the podstick. Thanks for the moral support! Not many swathers around this part of Norfolk.

 

[Lincsman]

I have not sprayed anything pre harvest for 20 years, its fine, keep the money.

 

[David.]

I have never dessicated OSR, prefer to try and get everything else in unspoiled, and if rape ends up last cut, so be it.
It is much more weather resistant than you might think in the absence of hail and gales. Rain is actually helpful and it cuts beautifully when rotten ripe.
That said I have only ever had 60/70ac to do, and I'm fully aware proper farmers need to get a start to harvest somewhere, and don't have the luxury of sitting back .

 

[deleted user 837354]

So long as the crop is not weedy as fudge, leaving it to ripen and desiccate itself works fine.

 

[Zippy768]

So long as the crop is not weedy as fudge, leaving it to ripen and desiccate itself works fine.

Unless you have the patience of a saint, enjoy the drying bill

 

[Ivorbiggun]

Most people make the mistake of putting podstik on at desiccation, it should go on separately 6 weeks before harvesting While the pods are still green.

 

[Hjwise]

That’s what I’ve done the two years before last. I’m not convinced that it achieved much though. I think I lose more when struggling in tramlines than I would had the sprayer not gone through. Might be different if I had vario header?

 

[Zippy768]

I've found going through with podstick, with pods green, helps flatten the tramlines enough for the desscicate spray pass to lessen losses.

Though I see what u mean about having to pick tramlines up again with combine. I have on occasion had to cut tramelines separately or combine will bung up having to.cut so low

 

[Michael S]

On a visit to northern Germany 20 years ago they thought doing anything other than direct cutting was madness. They actually harvested milling wheat while the rape ripened and feed wheat after the rape was harvested. I always harvest direct.

 

[Adeptandy]

I've found going through with podstick, with pods green, helps flatten the tramlines enough for the desscicate spray pass to lessen losses.

Though I see what u mean about having to pick tramlines up again with combine. I have on occasion had to cut tramelines separately or combine will bung up having to.cut so low

That was the main reason for going SP on the sprayer, got fed up murdering tramlines in the OSR, Beans and occasionally Peas ( if they stood up )

 

[Hjwise]

We use a lot of turkey muck, and struggle keep rape below 6’. My SP Chafer has good clearance but still knocks it over. No Caryx this year - rightly or wrongly!

 

[Mr Charisma]

Had a big crop of compass one year which was grown on a low seed rate, had stems well over a inch thick, ended up cutting it in the last week of August when we finished the wheat , had to cut just under the pods as the stems were still as green as silage , best yielding crop I ever cut but a lot of hassle , wish I had sprayed it off tbh

 

[Lincsman]

Had a big crop of compass one year which was grown on a low seed rate, had stems well over a inch thick, ended up cutting it in the last week of August when we finished the wheat , had to cut just under the pods as the stems were still as green as silage , best yielding crop I ever cut but a lot of hassle , wish I had sprayed it off tbh

Rafal/ Jet neuf were always like that here, keeping the sieves clean could be a pain in less than hot weather, still 2T/ac wasnt that hard to get, and the sale price was similar to today..... must look up the word progress again!