Planting game cover strips????

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
When is the best time to plant game cover strips that include brassicas in them eg Moir Mix type mixtures?
I ask the above on behalf of my wife , as the keeper where she works is kicking off as the game covers crops are not looking very good,
They been sprayed for flea beetle.
In my experience keepers want the game cover crops planted too early and they end up being planted a second time, the time when they should have been planted in the first place:rolleyes:
 

Shutesy

Moderator
Arable Farmer
Wouldn't say there is a perfect date, more on soil conditions, if the soil has moisture and is warming up then probably ok to get them in, if its to early in spring the soil will be to cold/wet for small seeded crops to get away and outgrow pests etc, to late and the top couple of inches has dried out and your relying on sometimes illusive rainfall to get things going!
 

T Hectares

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Berkshire
The best solution is to put the keeper back in his box until the birds arrive and let the farmers grow the crops…
Like any crop, it depends on the season which is not what a keeper who is fixated on a first shoot date wants to hear
The other solution is to put them in control and pass all the blame back to them 😂
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
It depends on the mix. Brassicas need to establish quickly to get past very active flea beetles. I'd say late May to mid June is best but as always, sow according to seedbed & weather conditions, not a calendar date unless you're governed by Countryside Stewardship rules. Use seedbed N where you can & plenty of muck.

Gamekeepers are best kept away in these circumstances! If they want early establishment, sow cereal based mixtures in April or maize in May.
 
It depends on the mix. Brassicas need to establish quickly to get past very active flea beetles. I'd say late May to mid June is best but as always, sow according to seedbed & weather conditions, not a calendar date unless you're governed by Countryside Stewardship rules. Use seedbed N where you can & plenty of muck.

Gamekeepers are best kept away in these circumstances! If they want early establishment, sow cereal based mixtures in April or maize in May.
Game keepers need their excuses lined up before the shooting season
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
Resurrecting this thread.
With all your experience’s(not the gamekeepers;)) , can you suggest which game cover crop mixes have / are least attacked by flea beetles, and are reasonably reliable as regards getting an acceptable establishment, year on year?
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
Yup ,maize is always a good bet, I mix millet in as well, although I will add mine isn't looking too hot this year mainly due to having bugger all rain since drilling, patchy is probably the best way to currently describe it!
 
Maize or millet. I wouldn't sow both together. Do not spray millet or sorghum with nicosulfuron!

These game crops really need a pre-emergence herbicide. They are invariably neglected and only noticed as weedy when they are already weedy. Keep an eye on them.

Kale, mustard, red clover, tussocky grasses like cockfoot, sunflowers, etc all worth considering but will depend on what you need them for and what your soil type/conditions are like.

If you make a half arshed effort then don't be surprised with half-arshed crops. Soil test, check P and K, check pH. Apply fertilisers/starters or muck to get them going, etc.
 
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Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Resurrecting this thread.
With all your experience’s(not the gamekeepers;)) , can you suggest which game cover crop mixes have / are least attacked by flea beetles, and are reasonably reliable as regards getting an acceptable establishment, year on year?
Is that a general question or do you need to sow something now? What has the plot grown before, what soil type, where and what is the weed burden?

Maize is the most reliable though we lose all seed dressings at the end of 2023.
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
Is that a general question or do you need to sow something now? What has the plot grown before, what soil type, where and what is the weed burden?

Maize is the most reliable though we lose all seed dressings at the end of 2023.
It is a general question for next year 2024.
Is the downside of maize , that it tends to become a haven for rats?
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
It is a general question for next year 2024.
Is the downside of maize , that it tends to become a haven for rats?
As Ollie said really. I have 150 acres of maize for game covers and don't really see many rats, much to the disappointment of my terrier! Having feeders in the same place all the time does that. Good hygiene will keep them down.
 

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